Newzoo has released its 2010 Total Consumer Spend report, which shows that the total gamers wallet has only seen a minor decline of 2 percent since last year. That’s because there’s been a surge in online and free-to-play gaming, helping to compensate for the drop in console game spending. Newzoo found that the total consumer spend on games in the U.S. in 2010 is at $24.7 billion.
Our data shows consumers are not simply moving away from console games, but spreading their budget across more platforms. Their choice of game genre and platform depends on time, place, social setting and the need they are seeking to satisfy at that moment,” said Peter Warman, MD of Newzoo. “There is no longer such thing as a typical casual or core gamer, as on average, consumers play games on more than 3.5 platforms and more than 85 percent of all gamers spends time on casual game platforms. Games are clearly becoming a more integrated part of people’s lives and social activities. The current variety of platforms and game genres combined with the low entry barrier of free-to-play games will ensure further growth in western countries and even more so in emerging markets such as Brazil and Russia.
Source: IndustryGamers {link no longer active}
