The global video game industry is a billion-dollar business and has been for many years. In 2024, the
was estimated at almost 455 billion U.S. dollars, with the mobile gaming market generating an estimated 98.7 billion U.S. dollars of the total. Despite record-breaking revenues, a major post-COVID shakeup is currently affecting the entire gaming industry.
The Big 3 in video gaming
The Big 3 in the video gaming industry are Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony. These three companies are major video gaming hardware makers and currently dominate the console gaming market. Due to this infrastructure advantage, the Big 3 are the biggest video game publishers worldwide, making billions of U.S. dollars from video games every year. According to the most recent data, the Big 3 video gaming companies generated more than 60.3 billion U.S. dollars in annual gaming revenue, with Sony holding the largest market share among the top companies.
Who are the major gaming industry players outside the Big 3?
Success in the gaming industry is not only limited to platform owners. Due to its success with mobile and online games, Chinese digital giant Tencent is also among the top companies by gaming revenue. Video game developers and third-party publishers are also highly valued. Up until its acquisition by Microsoft, Activision Blizzard (of Call of Duty fame) was the largest pure-play gaming company. Other leading gaming industry companies include U.S.-based Electronic Arts (EA), Take-Two Interactive, and Roblox Corporation, as well as European gaming giants Ubisoft and Embracer Group. Additionally, Asia Pacific is home to some of the most well-established and renowned gaming companies like Bandai Namco, Capcom, Square Enix, NCSoft, NetEase, and Nexon.
Gaming hardware as a basis for market dominance
Hardware makers Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony hold a considerable advantage over other gaming companies as they own and operate the major console gaming platforms: the Nintendo Switch is one of the best-selling gaming consoles of all time, and current-gen consoles Sony’s PlayStation 5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Series X/S compete neck-and-neck for consumer wallets and attention. To date, the PlayStation 5 has sold over 60 million units, compared to nearly 30 million Xbox X/S console sales. As all these gaming consoles feature impressive graphics and major games, platform exclusivity is one of the main battlefields to win players over to one gaming environment.
Deal activity in the gaming industry
The gaming industry is highly consolidated, and while gaming M&A and investment deals saw a post-COVID normalization, there were still 121 mergers and acquisitions within the industry in 2023. Many of these mergers are all about the extension of gaming ecosystems, while others are based on gaming publishers wanting to enhance their reach along the gaming-induced value chain. Game engines and development technology companies have seen major investments in recent years, and new technologies such as in-game advertising also feel the monetary love from gaming companies.
The current struggle of the gaming industry
Despite these ongoing deals and developments, the gaming industry is facing tough times. The post-COVID-19 market contraction was stronger than expected, with macroeconomic and geopolitical factors strongly impacting consumers. Hardware spending is particularly affected, and aggressive pricing is another reason for consumers to not upgrade their consoles to the pro-model in the middle of the lifecycle.
Video games have also become more expensive, making price-conscious consumers buy fewer games at full price. Also, many publishers have gotten their audiences engaged with endless Games-as-a-Service (GAAS) titles such as Fortnite, Genshin Impact, or Destiny 2. With countless hours invested in specific live gaming titles that receive a steady stream of updates, gamers are less likely to switch over to new titles during their finite gaming time. In turn, gaming studios have become more risk-averse.
Regardless of these struggles, the gaming industry has still been able to produce some hits and surprises in 2024. People will always want to play games – but for now, gaming companies will have to ride out the storm.
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