In the next 4 years, the turnover from the sale of loot boxes and drawings of game skins will almost double and reach $ 50 billion. This is stated in the report of the analytical company Juniper Research.
Revenue forecast from the sale of loot boxes and the drawing of skins by 2022, Juniper Research
According to the company’s current forecast, by the end of 2018, loot boxes and other monetization methods with a random reward will generate about $30 billion.
Researchers identify several main types of gambling mechanics in video games. Among them:
- loot boxes;
- casino with game skins;
- in-game lotteries.
Juniper Research separately focused on trading and drawing game skins. The company notes that the market for game skins is very large and has more than 6 billion game items.
Juniper called Steam a major intermediary in the field of drawing game skins, the market of which has more than 6 billion items.
The Steam marketplace allows users to sell virtual items for real money, and the Valve marketplace receives 5% from each transaction.
After the sale, the game skins can become prizes on sites that play them according to the casino principle for money bets.
Summing up, Juniper insists on controlling this branch of the gaming business.
“We strongly recommend regulating the turnover of loot boxes and drawings of game skins. This will help protect young people from the threat of gambling and prevent attackers who steal skins and cheat users through their websites,” the report says.
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