Growth is good. Okay, maybe not all growth. Certainly not unsightly growths. And probably not the growing sensation that somebody is watching you when you’re singing classic rock in the shower. But the growth in the PC gaming market is something we can all probably get behind.
Research firm DFC Intelligence forecasts a $3 billion growth in the PC gaming market this year, from $22 billion to $25 billion. So I guess things are going okay.
Speaking with GamesIndustry International, an analyst from DFC noted that core gamers are spending more than ever and that core PC gaming increased over the last year and will continue to do so.
“We thought with the lack of major new releases that overall usage would be down,” analyst Jeremy Miller said. “However, the top titles of 2012 continued to do well in 2013 and new titles like Battlefield 4 and Total War: Rome II had solid performances.”
Free-to-play titles and MOBAs like League of Legends and Dota 2 have been performing well, but the traditional business model remains strong as well. DFC’s David Cole pointed out that the chance to upsell consumers after an initial purchase is also attractive.
There’s been a shift in the last year, too. MMOs are declining, surpassed even by shooters, while MOBAs are generally doing very well, especially the aforementioned heavy-hitters.
While 2013 was a slow year for big releases because of the attention given to the new consoles, Cole believes that these systems will benefit the PC market with huge multiplatform releases as the platforms overlap. “One of the big things to watch is the crossover between big console games and their PC release. GTA V releasing for PC will be one to watch if that occurs. Titanfall, Elder Scrolls Online and many other titles are being developed for both console and PC. So I think the biggest item of note is the synergy now between console and PC.”
Cheers, GamesIndustry International.