[MFG] Dive into the Numbers: Uncovering Game Industry Insights and Statistics

6 min readJan 10, 2023

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*MFG = My First Game
For those who are new to MFG, I have previously written about my plans to create my own game. You can read more about it in previous posts:
1. Hello World
2. It’s Alive

Last month, I chose the Adventure/Puzzle genre for my game. Before deciding on the most appropriate platforms, I looked at some data just to understand:

Which platforms are currently the most popular?
What is the average age of players?
What are the shares of online and offline gaming?

The game market is currently divided into several distinct segments:

PC
Consoles
Mobiles

I could add VR (virtual reality) / AR (augmented reality) headsets separately, but there are some “but” for that. While VR and AR headsets show promise, the industry is not yet mature enough for widespread adoption. Additionally, even if the technology were more developed, there are several barriers to mainstream use of headsets, including cost, content availability and price, technology issues, and regulatory hurdles. As a result, it may be some time before headsets become a mainstream device.

Number of players worldwide

Consider the possibility that approximately one third of the world’s population is actively engaged in gaming. It is predicted that there will be 3 billion active gamers by 2023.

There were an estimated 1.99 billion active gamers in 2015. This number has steadily increased over the years, with a total of 2.69 billion active gamers in 2020, representing a 35% increase over a five-year period. Of these 2.69 billion gamers, a significant portion, 2.5 billion, played on mobile devices.

Many people consider video games to be a pastime for kids and teenagers, but recent data suggests otherwise. Around 79% of gamers are adults (18 years +).

Offline or online

In 2021, the offline segment had a dominant share in the market at over 62%. However, it is predicted that the online segment will experience the highest CAGR and growth over the forecasted period. This progression can be largely attributed to multiplayer games increasing popularity.

On what devices or consoles are the players currently playing?

With almost 73% of players own a gaming console, 43% own a handheld system, and 29% own a VR device, including 25% who own mobile VR devices.

The Most Frequently Used Devices for Video Game Play Among Adult Players are:

61% smartphone;
52% game console;
49% personal computer

Based on these numbers, it is likely that the most profitable sector of the gaming industry will continue to be mobile gaming. This is unsurprising, given the large number of hyper-casual, casual, and gambling games that are released regularly and often generate significant revenue through advertising or in-game monetization in a relatively short period of time. These types of games may be more successful financially compared to some independent titles, even if they are not as well-received by players.

Let’s have some breakdown to consoles’ numbers:

+ There is a global user base of over 100 million for Xbox Live

It’s been a great 2021 year for Xbox Live, with the user base growing from 65 million in Q4 2019 to a staggering 100 million by December 2020.

+ PlayStation Plus users will soon reach over 50 million

Meanwhile, PlayStation Plus is on track to reach 50 million subscribers by March 2022, with a reported 47.4 million users at present — an increase of 5.9 million since March 2020.

+ Nintendo Switch has achieved sales of over 100 million units

The Nintendo Switch has also had a fantastic run, with over 100 million units sold since its release in March 2017. This impressive figure can be attributed in part to the success of first-party titles such as The Legend of Zelda, Pokémon, and Super Mario.

+ Steam Deck has achieved sales of over 1 million units

In other news, Valve’s portable PC, the Steam Deck, has reportedly sold over 1 million units. This information comes from David Edmundson of KDE, the company behind the Linux desktop environment used by the Steam Deck when in desktop mode.

You can watch David’s speech here and other topics at KDE’s Akademy 2022 conference.

How about revenue?

Last year (2021), home console gaming (including consoles, games, accessories, and merchandise from companies like Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo) made up about 28% of total gaming revenue.

Mobile gaming, on the other hand, generated a much larger amount of revenue at $90.7 billion, compared to $85.1 billion of console gaming’s and PC gaming’s revenue.

It’s worth noting that the gaming industry has been doing exceptionally well, with a significant boost in in-app purchases during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Here’s a breakdown of annual revenue (in billions) by platform:

PC $35.9
Console $49.2
Mobile $90.7

Some other interesting stats, that I’ve faced:

2021 saw the gaming market reach an estimated value of USD 198.40 billion and is expected to reach USD 220.79 billion in 2022;
Adventure Games niche will generate US$17.21 billion in 2022, approximately 9% of the entire market’s size;
It is anticipated that the global digital games market will reach a staggering $304.7 billion by 2027;
Recent statistics have revealed that two-thirds of Americans enjoy playing video games on a regular basis;
Video games are no longer just a hobby for teenagers, with the average age of players being 33 years old;
A majority of video game lovers prefer to enjoy the experience on their mobile phones, with about 70% of them playing games on it;
In 2021, the Asia Pacific region dominated the gaming market with a share of 53.3%. This could be attributed to the increasing use of smartphones and China’s flourishing demand for entertainment. Furthermore, this trend is anticipated to continue in the upcoming years;
2021 saw UK video games market surge to an impressive £7.16 billion — its highest ever value achieved in history;
A remarkable 14.2% CAGR between 2021 and 2026 makes Turkey the most booming nation in terms of consumer gaming revenue growth;
According to estimates, the worldwide virtual reality (VR) in gaming market could reach USD 53.44 billion by 2028, with a projected compound annual growth rate of 31.4% between 2021 and 2028.

Conclusion

The video game industry continues to thrive and shows no signs of slowing down. Despite already being a massive industry, there is still a huge potential for growth with the release of new gaming platforms (Steam Deck) and the increasing popularity of augmented and virtual reality technology.

As for my game project, I’m leaning more towards PC launch on Steam. This decision is driven by a few key assumptions:

From others’ experience, launching a game on Steam is a more streamlined process for indie developers compared to launching on consoles. Consoles has a lot of guideliness, requirements and rules which will take time to fulfil.
As I am placing a strong emphasis on atmosphere and art in my game, I want to ensure that the graphics quality is not compromised, which is a concern when developing for mobile.
From my understanding, mobile gaming often prioritizes shorter, casual experiences over games with a strong narrative. For this reason, I believe that my game’s storytelling elements will be better suited to a PC platform.
Additionally, with the recent rise of Steam Deck adoption, the potential audience for PC games continues to grow.

Materials used for this article: