The PC Gaming Alliance is reporting that PC software sales in 2012 hit a record $20 billion worldwide, 8 percent greater than last year. While every region of the world is performing better, China led the way with $6.8 billion in revenue.
“DFC was surprised the industry still showed growth in 2012 with the decline of large subscription MMOs, heavy attention being paid to the impact of mobile games, and the struggle of many social network games,” said David Cole, an analyst for DFC Intelligence, which compiles the report in conjunction with JPR Research. “However, 2012 saw significantly increased distribution of successful titles that positively impacted the market, including Diablo III, Guild Wars 2, Minecraft and the Mists of Pandaria expansion to World of Warcraft.”
The report believes there are now 1 billion PC gamers worldwide, with roughly 25 percent identified as “core” players interested in traditional genres like strategy, action and RPGs. The global PC software industry is expected to grow to $25.7 billion in sales by 2016.
