Games and Interactive Media Earned a Record $120.1B in 2019

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The games and interactive media industry grew 4% in a year and earned a record $120.1B in 2019. More than a half earned by mobile games: $64.4B. Gaming did not need new titles to continue expanding in 2019.  Pokémon GO, from Niantic, Inc. Adventure revenue: $1.4B more than $1.3B reached in 2018. This information was provided by Superdata, a Nielsen company, in January 2020.

Digital games revenue reached $109.4B in 2019. Free-to-play games revenue increased by 6% to $87.1B in 2019. Free-to-play games accounted for 4 out of every 5 dollars spent on digital games in 2019 thanks to strong performances from mobile games. Perennial chart-toppers like Candy Crush Saga and Honour of Kings pushed mobile’s share of free-to-play revenue to 74%, a trend that is expected to persist in 2020.

In an impressive feat, Fortnite mobile clinched the top spot for a second year in a row, generating $1.8B in 2019 against $2.4B reached in 2018. The enduring popularity of Fortnite is partially atributable to crossover promotions with pop culture blockbusters like Avengers, Stranger Things and Star Wars.

Games and Interactive Media Earned $120.1B and Mobile Games Earned $64.4B

Games and Interactive Media Earned a Record $120.1B in 2019Mobile games accounted for 6 of the top 10 free-to-play titles in 2019. Thanks to strong performances from mainstay titles like Honour of Kings, Candy Crush Saga and Pokémon GO, mobile games earned $64.4B in 2019. Role-playing and puzzle games continued to have the greatest market shares in the mobile segment and generated 23% and 15% of mobile revenue, respectively.  Bringing AAA game franchises to mobile proved to be a successful strategy for publishers. Call of Duty Mobile earned $116.8M in 2019 and its October release, and Mario Kart: World Tour also launched on mobile. Instead of simply applying a franchise brand to a mobile game, these games truly mirror the feel of their console counterparts. Their success also shows that gamers are willing to play a wide range of genres on a touchscreen.

Games and Interactive Media Earned $120.1B and XR Games Earned a Total of $2.2B

XR games earned a total of $2.2B in 2019 largely thanks to the success of Pokémon GOMobile AR game earnings rose 12% in 2019 with Pokémon GO dominating the segment. The 2016  title from Niantic earned $1.4B during the year, 81% of all AR game revenue. Several similar games arrived during the year including Harry Poter: Wizards Unite, also from Niantic. However, this game was not a major success, and in its first month on the market, it only earned 1% of what Pokémon GO did during its launch month. Minecraft Earth, one of the biggest Pokémon GO competitors yet, also began rolling out worldwide in November and December.  VR game revenue rose by 41% during 2019, mainly due to the arrival of the Oculus Quest. The device launched with an appealing lineup of titles including Beat Saber and Superhot VR, and consumers spent a total of $171M on standalone VR games during the year. In comparison, PC VR games only earned $86M during the same time period. However, this number is set to grow significantly in 2020 once the highly antecipated Half-Life: Alyx arrives on PC in March.

About 2019 Year in Review Digital Games and Interactive Media

Digital games are up three percent year over year having generated $120.1B in 2019 with $64.4 billion in mobile, $29.6 billion in PC and $15.4 billion in gaming console. SuperData’s findings include:

  • The games and interactive media industry grew 4% in a year with few market movers
  • Free-to-play games accounted for 4 out of every 5 dollars spent on digital games in 2019 thanks to strong performances from mobile games
  • Fortnite clinched the top spot for the second year in a row, generating $1.8 billion in 2019
  • XR revenue climbed 26% to $6.3 billion in 2019 thanks to new headsets like the Oculus Quest

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We are a unique communications agency, dedicated to a single market for the past 22 years: videogames and esports. Promoting the interaction between companies and geek and gamer audiences, we currently support corporations from several different segments that wish to connect their brands to gaming and eSports fans, influencers, and journalists. Read more news like this on our blog.

About us

We are a unique communications agency, dedicated to a single market for the past 24 years: videogames and esports. Promoting the interaction between companies and geek and gamer audiences, we currently support corporations from several different segments that wish to connect their brands to gaming and eSports fans, influencers, and journalists. Read more news like this on our blog.

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