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The eSports Industry to Date: The Drivers Behind Current and Future Growth
The global esports industry is undergoing a rapid transformation from a niche gaming subculture into a significant, multi-billion dollar economic force.
- The esports industry is on a trajectory to grow from $252 million in 2015 revenue to a $1 billion economy by 2019.
- Industry growth is driven by high engagement on streaming platforms like Twitch and a transition toward mainstream professionalization.
- Significant capital is entering the market, evidenced by a $26 million venture capital investment in Super Evil Megacorp.
The eSports Economy: Trends, Audience and Revenue Growth Towards 2017
The eSports economy is experiencing rapid expansion, driven by a fundamental shift in how consumers interact with gaming content.
- The eSports enthusiast base is projected to exceed 100 million by 2017, maintaining a 20% compound annual growth rate between 2012 and 2017.
- Approximately 40% of eSports viewers are spectators who do not actively play the games they watch, indicating a shift toward viewing as a standalone entertainment medium.
- Streaming platforms are central to the industry's infrastructure, exemplified by Twitch reaching 100 million unique monthly viewers in 2014.
PC Gaming: Power to the People
PC gaming currently stands as the dominant force in the global interactive entertainment industry, commanding a 39% market share with $27.6 billion in annual revenue.
- PC gaming leads the global interactive entertainment industry with a 39% market share, generating $27.6 billion in annual revenue from a base of approximately 900 million players.
- The free-to-play business model is the primary financial driver for the sector, with revenues projected to reach $13.3 billion by 2016.
- The core PC and MMO gaming segment consists of 168 million players, with significant growth occurring in the APAC and LATAM regions.
VR Games Market Report: An Overview and Outlook of Virtual Reality
The virtual reality gaming market is undergoing a significant resurgence, fueled by the widespread adoption of affordable, standalone six-degree-of-freedom headsets.
- The global VR gaming market is projected to reach $3.2 billion in annual revenue by 2024, more than doubling current figures.
- The active hardware install base for VR is expected to grow to 46 million units by 2024, driven primarily by the adoption of affordable, standalone six-degree-of-freedom headsets.
- Industry growth is shifting toward hybrid monetization models, moving away from one-time purchases to incorporate subscriptions, DLC, and in-game microtransactions.
The Rise of Battle Royale: An Overview of the Hottest Game Genre
The battle royale genre has emerged as a dominant force in the global gaming industry, characterized by a unique blend of survival, exploration, and last-man-standing mechanics.
- The battle royale genre has achieved mainstream dominance by distilling survival and shooter mechanics into a highly replayable, spectator-friendly format.
- PUBG and Fortnite serve as the genre's primary anchors, with PUBG maintaining a strong foothold in Asian markets through partnerships with Tencent, while Fortnite captures a broader Western audience via a free-to-play model and cross-platform integration.
- The mobile sector is a primary growth driver, led by publishers like NetEase and Tencent who have successfully launched mobile-optimized versions of major titles to capitalize on mobile-first gaming cultures.
Understanding the iPhone: Current Usage and Trends
As of July 2017, the global landscape of iPhone usage reflects a decade of significant market penetration, with 730 million active devices worldwide.
- As of July 2017, there are 730 million active iPhones worldwide, representing approximately 10% of the global population.
- 61% of all iPhones ever sold since the 2007 launch remain in active use, with 82% of those active devices released in 2014 or later.
- China is the largest market for iPhone adoption with 243 million active users.
The Role of Mobile in Esports: The State and Future of Mobile Esports in Asia and the West
Mobile esports is undergoing a period of rapid global expansion, establishing itself as a distinct and influential pillar within the broader gaming ecosystem.
- Asia has successfully mirrored professional PC esports through large-scale stadium events and structured leagues, while the Western market continues to treat mobile competition primarily as a grassroots and amateur-focused endeavor.
- India is projected to become the world’s fourth-largest mobile gaming market by 2020, representing a significant geographic shift in the competitive mobile landscape.
- China currently serves as the primary engine for global mobile esports growth, though the industry is increasingly expanding into emerging markets.
Betting on Billions: Unlocking the Power of Mobile Gamers
Mobile gaming represents a significant, underutilized opportunity for brands to engage a vast and influential consumer base.
- Mobile gamers are 23% more likely than non-gamers to influence the purchasing decisions of their peers, family, and colleagues.
- Gaming is the third-most-popular app category globally, with 50% of surveyed users engaging with games on a weekly basis.
- Over half (53%) of mobile gamers report that they are receptive to advertising, viewing it as a helpful way to stay informed about products and services.
How Brands Can Use Data to Be Successful in Games & Esports
Brands must move beyond viewing gamers as a monolithic group, instead adopting data-driven, segmented strategies to navigate the complex gaming and esports landscape.
- Brands must abandon the monolithic view of gamers and instead use granular consumer data to segment the audience by specific titles, demographics, and regional cultural preferences.
- Successful market entry requires moving beyond simple player counts to analyze multi-platform metrics, including social sentiment and viewership trends.
- Data-driven strategies should be used to identify authentic partnership opportunities with professional teams and influencers rather than relying on speculative investments.
Gamer Motivation Study
Global gaming engagement is defined by a complex interplay of cultural values and individual motivations, necessitating a shift away from traditional demographic segmentation toward behavior-based personas.
- The industry should transition from traditional demographic segmentation to a behavior-based framework consisting of eight distinct gamer personas to better capture engagement drivers.
- The study analyzed 4,110 respondents across 30 international markets to identify the core motivations and habits defining global gaming engagement.
- U.S. gamers are primarily driven by escapism and filling idle time, while Chinese gamers prioritize competitive achievement, exploration, and skill mastery.
The Consumer as Producer: How Games & Video Converge to Drive Growth
The global games industry is undergoing a fundamental transformation driven by the convergence of gaming, video streaming, and consumer-generated content.
- The gaming industry is shifting from a one-way consumption model to a collaborative ecosystem where players act as 'prosumers' who create, share, and monetize content.
- Global games revenue is projected to reach $113.3 billion by 2018, growing at a compound annual rate of 7.9% from 2014.
- China and the United States will dominate the market, collectively accounting for 50% of global gaming revenues by 2018.
Newzoo Gamer Segmentation: An Overview of the Nine Unique Personas
The Newzoo Gamer Segmentation framework categorizes the global gaming audience into nine distinct personas to better understand the diverse motivations, behaviors, and spending habits of players.
- The 'Ultimate Gamer' persona accounts for 30% of gaming enthusiasts, characterized by high levels of active play, content consumption, and significant hardware investment.
- The global gaming audience is mature and heterogeneous, with the average age of the nine personas ranging from approximately 28 to 39 years old.
- Engagement is no longer defined solely by active gameplay, as segments like the 'Popcorn Gamer' and 'Backseat Viewer' prioritize esports and video content consumption.