Chart: Top 12 Video Games For The Holiday Season

The video game industry is becoming one of the most lucrative in the entertainment space, reporting a market value in the U.S. alone exceeding $19 million in 2018. This value is up $5 million since 2012, and is expected to break the $20 million threshold by 2020, according to Statista.

Video game sales generally surge in the months before Christmas, and this holiday season is no different.

The Games

Based on research conducted by UBS, a dozen highly-anticipated games are on the docket for 2018, according to 5,000 polled customers across the globe. "Call of Duty: Black Ops 4" leads the competition, with 34 percent of gamers likely to buy and 6 percent already purchased.

"Assassin’s Creed: Odyssey" trails closely behind with a 33 percent likely to buy rate and 4 percent purchase rate. "Red Dead Redemption 2," "FIFA 19" and "Battlefield V" are next on the list.

The Stocks

Activision Blizzard, Inc. ATVI shares have increased over 13 percent in the past year, in anticipation of the company’s new battle royale leg of "Call of Duty," rivaling games like "Fortnite" and "PUBG."

Shares of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. TTWO has experienced a surge of 16 percent in the same time frame and could continue the rise following this week’s release of "Red Dead Redemption 2."

Shares of Electronic Arts Inc. EA are down 9 percent over the past year. EA is responsible for titles such as "Battlefield V" and "FIFA 19."

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