On February 27, the analytical company SuperData published a traditional monthly report on sales of games distributed in numbers. It says that users spent $8.9 billion on games in the first month of 2018.
Sales fell month-on-month, but grew year-on-year
The monthly results did not bring any big surprises. It was expected that after the end of the Christmas season, sales would drop significantly. Recall that in December they amounted to a record $10 billion.
Nevertheless, the $8.9 billion received is more than the gaming market earned last October. That month was distinguished by earnings of $ 8.5 billion.
On an annual basis, the market, as expected, did not fall, but grew. It increased by 11% compared to January 2017.
The main driver of market growth in January is console games
Year-on-year in January, the largest growth was demonstrated by the console games market. It has grown by 54%. SuperData called such dynamics fantastic. It is explained by the success of Monster Hunter: World and the residual tail of sales of AAA projects from the Christmas season.
Sales of premium games for personal computers have also grown significantly. Analysts do not comment on the growth of 24%. But we note that Steam sold well in January: underwater survival simulator Subnautica, steampunk strategy about zombies They Are Billions and fighting game DRAGON BALL FighterZ.
As for the other segments,:
- the mobile games market grew by 11%;
- the market of fritupley MMOs grew by 1%;
- the social games market fell by 5%;
- the paid MMO market fell by 9%.
The twin brothers PUBG and Fortnite are some of the most earning games on the market
Similar and somewhat related PUBG and Fortnite games are among the highest-grossing on the market today. The total revenue of both projects today is $200 million.
SuperData does not tell which of the titles is more profitable today. But, it seems to us, we can assume that Fortnite: Battle Royal earns more. This assumption is based on the fact that the Epic Games game is present both in the top ten of the most profitable console games, and in the top ten of the most profitable PC games. PUBG, in turn, is only in the PC top.
Also on the topic:
- Hot December 2017: players spent $10 billion on games
- 6 facts about the video game market for the year from SuperData
Source: SuperData