MOSCOW, May 9. /TASS/. The global market for mobile games in 2020 against the backdrop of a pandemic and mass self-isolation will grow by 13.3% and reach $77.2 bln - almost half of the entire gaming market, according to a study by Newzoo analytical agency.
According to the report, the global gaming market, which includes revenues from sales of mobile, computer and console games, will grow by 9.3% in 2020 and amount to $159.3 bln, including $77.2 bln (with an increase of 13.3% year-on-year) for mobile gaming, $45.2 bln (+6.8%) - for console gaming, $36.9 bln (+4.8%) - for computer. At the same time, by 2024, the global gaming market could grow to $200.8 bln at an average annual rate of 8.3%.
Experts noted that all market segments, especially the mobile one, will show growth both in terms of the audience and revenues - all this is partly the result of mass self-isolation due to the coronavirus pandemic. Compared to other segments, the mobile market has a low entry threshold (more than 40% of the world's population has smartphones with many available games) and absence of problems with distribution of games.
The console and computer gaming market, despite growth, has a number of problems due to the coronavirus, experts said. First of all, because of the pandemic and the difficulties in delivering physical copies of games, publishers have to postpone popular releases. However, the recent announcements of new-generation consoles - Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 - should give the necessary momentum to the market, the report said.
Mobile gaming still has the leading position in terms of the audience - for example, in 2020 there will be 2.6 bln mobile players in the world, but only 38% of them will actually pay for content. According to Newzoo, the audience of computer games will grow to 1.3 bln people, an console games - up to 729 mln. In general, customers from China and the United States will generate global market revenues, a serious increase is expected from Latin America and the Asia-Pacific region.