Analyst: PC gaming more profitable than console gaming

[rhoenix]

Anyone who has been playing games on the PC for a while has likely gotten used to regular, overblown pronouncements that computer gaming is on the verge of dying in the face of cheaper, easier-to-use console competition. Gamers weary of rebuffing those charges should take heart from recent statements from DFC Intelligence analyst David Cole that PC gaming is far from dying—and it's actually outperforming the console sector overall these days.

In statements reported by UK tech site PCR, Cole said that PC games were bringing in more revenue than console games on a global basis, though he added that the recent launch of new game consoles could change things in the near future. "Among core gamers there is a heavy overlap with most console gamers also playing on a PC," Cole said. "The big difference is that consoles are now the luxury item and PCs are the necessity. Just a few years ago the reverse was true. This means PCs have the broader audience."

The growth in PC spending is being driven heavily by the explosive growth in MOBAs like League of Legends and Dota 2, Cole said. That certainly gels with what we found in our recent Steam Gauge analysis, which shows Dota 2 dominating in a number of gameplay statistics.
Outside of that, the PC market is supported by "a nice mix of MMO, strategy, and first-person shooter" games, Cole said. The PC gaming market is also dominated by older titles; Cole said there wasn't a single title released in 2013 that made the top 20 list of most played games for that year, though 2014 releases like DayZ, Rust, and Hearthstone have managed to crack the popularity lists. PC gaming revenue growth has been especially strong in Europe and among free-to-play titles, Cole said.

Back in 2011, DFC predicted that PC gaming revenues would surpass consoles sometime this year, and in January the group estimated that the PC gaming sector would bring in $25 billion worldwide this year. Those with a few thousand dollars to spare on market research can purchase DFC's full market forecast for much more detailed information.

While this makes me very glad to see (being strongly biased in favor of PC's for gaming), it also makes me think that CynCat was right in saying that Bungee hates money, given that their new shiny toy Destiny is only headed to the XBox.

[frigidmagi]

Everyone say it with me now...

PC MASTER RACE!

[Josh]

Yeah, fuck consoles.

PC gaming ain't dead yet, bitches.