Report

CESA Game Industry Report 2025

By CESA – Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association

15 December 20254 pages989 words

Summary

The 2025 CESA Game Industry Report presents a comprehensive assessment of the current state of the video‑game sector, emphasizing three strategic themes: the impact of artificial‑intelligence technologies on development, the latest dynamics of the global market, and emerging regulatory issues. By expanding data coverage to include China, Australia, major Western economies, India and the MENA region, the analysis offers a multidimensional view of both domestic and international trends. Global game‑content revenue reached 31.042 trillion yen in 2024, marking a 5.0 % year‑on‑year increase. Mobile games accounted for 18.433 trillion yen, roughly 60 % of total sales, and grew 6.0 % versus the prior year. PC titles posted the strongest platform growth over the past four years, expanding 59.7 % and overtaking console share, while console revenue showed modest contraction. In Japan, the total gaming population stood at 5.475 million in 2024, a slight decline from 5.553 million; mobile users fell 1.8 %, PC users rose 0.5 %, and console users decreased 0.7 %, with expectations of a rebound following the anticipated Switch 2 launch. Employment estimates indicate approximately 200 000 individuals work across the Japanese gaming ecosystem. Core developers, publishers and hardware manufacturers employ between 58 000 and 83 000 people, while ancillary sectors—such as visual production, middleware, peripherals, retail and media—constitute the remainder of the workforce. The findings derive from CESA’s own surveys, expert interviews and user studies conducted in China and Australia, supplemented by industry‑wide data sources and event reports (Tokyo Game Show, Japan Game Awards, CEDEC). The methodology blends desk research with primary fieldwork to deliver a layered, data‑rich portrait of the industry’s structure, growth drivers and regulatory landscape.

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CESA Game Industry Report 2024

**CESA Game Industry Report 2024 – Executive Summary (English)** --- ### 1. Publication Details | Item | Information | |------|--------------| | **Title** | CESA ゲーム産業レポート 2024 (CESA Game Industry Report 2024) | | **Publisher** | 一般社団法人コンピュータエンターテインメント協会 (Computer Entertainment Supplier’s Association, CESA) | | **Release date** | 20 December 2024 (Friday) | | **Price** | ¥55,000 (incl. tax) – both printed book and PDF/CD‑ROM versions | | **Format** | A4, 360 pages | | **ISBN / Catalog** | CESAJ‑LV‑ (internal code) | | **Production partner** | 株式会社角川アスキー総合研究所 (Kadokawa ASCII Research Institute) | | **Official page** | <https://f-ism.net/report/cesa2024.html> | | **Contact** | [email protected] | > **Citation note** – When quoting any data from the report, cite it as “CESA ゲーム産業レポート 2024”. --- ### 2. Report Structure | Chapter | Focus | |---------|-------| | **Chapter 1 – Front‑matter (Topics, Interviews, Contributions)** | Interviews with industry veterans (久夛良木健, 岡村秀樹) reflecting on 30 years of PlayStation & Sega Saturn; other key‑person case studies. | | **Chapter 2 – Market & Industry Trends (Domestic & Global)** | Macro‑level market size, platform breakdown, development costs, employment, cross‑media context. | | **Chapter 3 – User Trends** | Player demographics, platform usage, esports, multi‑platform activity. | | **Chapter 4 – CESA Activities & Member Initiatives** | Overview of CESA‑hosted events (Tokyo Game Show, CEDEC) and member‑company projects. | --- ### 3. Key Findings #### 3.1 Global Game‑Content Market * **Size (2020‑2024)** – Approximately **¥30 trillion** in 2024, nearly **double** the 2020 level (¥20 trillion). * **Growth drivers** – Strong yen‑depreciation effect post‑2022, continued expansion of mobile gaming, and rising PC‑gaming share (thanks to Steam). * **Platform share (2024)** – * **Mobile**: dominant share (≈ 60 % of global revenue). * **Console**: ~ 20 % of revenue. * **PC**: ~ 20 % (growing steadily). #### 3.2 Japan’s Content Industry & Game Share * **Total overseas export of Japanese content**: **¥4.7 trillion** (on par with semiconductor & steel sectors). * **Games’ contribution**: **≈ 60 %** of that export value → games are the primary driver of foreign‑exchange earnings within the broader content sector. #### 3.3 Domestic Game‑Industry Employment & Compensation * **Total industry employment**: **≈ 200,000** workers (including peripheral sectors). * **Average annual salary**: **¥7.08 million** – markedly higher than the average across

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CESA Game Industry Report 2025

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