High Time for
Games
The
global video game market is poised to reach $57 billion in 2009, as 11
countries have annual video game revenue in excess of $1 billion. Though
high-end console companies are too aggressive in the market, still the
number one platform for games in 2007 was the same old PC. These are among
the findings of research carried out by game market researcher, DFC
Intelligence.
The
forecast includes revenue from video game hardware and software, dedicated
portable system hardware and software, PC games, and online PC and console
games in 25 countries.
The
researcher observes that with high spending on expensive hardware and a
slumping economy, there was some concern that consumers would not have
enough money to buy software products. This does not appear to be the
case.
“Consumer spending on software is at record levels and the game business
seems to actually benefit from a recession because games are a relatively
cheap form of home entertainment,” said DFC analyst David Cole.
The
report forecasts sales for each of the major game platforms. The Nintendo
Wii is expected to be the number one selling console system of this
generation. “The Wii does not appear to be a fad and it has the chance to
be one of the best selling systems of all-time,” says Cole.
However,
that does not mean the other systems will not do well. The Sony
PlayStation 3 is expected to equal the Wii in annual software sales by
2012. Meanwhile, the Microsoft Xbox 360 remains a leading player in some
of the top markets, most notably the U.S. and U.K.
Another
new DFC report, Video Game Genre Forecasting, takes a look at expected
sales by platform and genre for the next two years using multiple
assumptions about product features, licenses, development and marketing
budgets, and consumer usage trends.
“With
multiple platforms establishing healthy installed bases there is a growing
need to look at potential sales on a given platform based on not just
aggregate hardware sales, but also game type,” says analyst Jeremy Miller.
“The Wii not only has unique features and a broad demographic appeal, but
Nintendo is dominant as a software publisher. For many third party
publishers this means they will have much greater success on the Xbox 360
and PlayStation 3, even if Wii sales continue to be strong.”
With all
the talk about game console systems, surprisingly the number one platform
for games in 2007 was the personal computer. According to the new Online
Game Market Forecasts report, PC online game revenue alone passed $7
billion in 2007, not including retail sales. Total PC game revenue is
expected to reach $19 billion by 2013.
Your
Comments:
