A major London analyst company predicts a stagnating PC market and rising console sales
London-based analyst group GlobalData believes the PC market will stagnate, while revenues from the console segment will more than halve by 2030.
Players are expected to own over 250 million latest-generation consoles, and this number is projected to increase significantly over the next 5 years.
This conclusion was reached by analysts from the London-based group GlobalData. In their opinion, annual revenues from the console segment will increase from 52 billion dollars in 2023 to 79 billion dollars in 2030. At the same time, the company predicts that PCs will stagnate and fall far behind consoles and mobiles, which remain the most profitable market for developers.
GlobalData highlights not only the forthcoming launch of the Nintendo Switch 2, but also the release of the next generation of PlayStation and Xbox consoles by 2028. Also, “innovations” like cloud gaming, cross-play and the use of AI (including in the form of upscaling, but also “user safety” systems and in graphics) are expected to be relevant, as well as fierce competition between the three console giants: Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo.
GlobalData
Global Data report contradicts the earlier analysis of the Epylion group. In mid-January, it claimed that PCs have been the main driving force of the gaming market in recent years, while the console segment has fallen into stagnation. A later GDC study indicated that PCs are the platform preferred by devs.
Rupantar Guha (senior analyst for strategic intelligence at GlobalData) also highlighted the development of remakes and remasters of "classic titles" and indie games as important trends in today's gaming industry.
Guha claims that these are "economically efficient" ways to increase sales—specifically by using existing brands (although this can be doubted in the context of remakes created without the original source code) and by producing low-budget indie games. The analyst believes that teams focused on these projects could be appealing acquisitions for publishers.
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