Newzoo: in 2022, gamers spent $92.3 billion, which is 2.2% less than in 2021, and spent less time playing games

Newzoo analysts who study the video game market told how much money gamers spent on games in 2022. This amount was $92.3 billion, which is 2.2% less than in 2021.

Here's What We Know

Main data from the report:

• PC and console gaming market. The numbers may have declined after the coronavirus pandemic, but the overall figures are optimistic. There are still opportunities to reach over a billion players on PC and 611 million players on consoles.
• Time spent playing games. The average time spent playing games decreased by 23% on Steam, Xbox, and PlayStation from 2021 to 2022.
• Trends in game development. Due to the pandemic, many companies have postponed the release of their games from 2022 to at least 2023. These delays have had a significant impact on costs, but we can expect big hits this year.
• Key trends in business models. More and more publishers are turning their core franchises into service models. In the coming years, Newzoo analysts expect companies to choose fewer new releases and focus on extending the life of existing franchises, especially given the success of games such as Fortnite, Minecraft, and ROBLOX.
• Games and the surrounding media ecosystem. 2022 was a watershed year for transmedia strategies. The film adaptation of The Last of Us and the anime Cyberpunk: Edgerunners dramatically increased the popularity of franchises.
• Demographic and personal analysis of PC and console gamers. In the last six months, two out of three gamers played on PC or console, and 72% of players used at least two platforms. And 40% of the total number of PC and console players are girls.
• How much gamers spend on games:

1. Console games: $51.8 billion.
2. Digital/physical PC games: $38.2 billion.
3. Browser games for PC: $2.3 billion.

Newzoo also notes that the development of games for PC and consoles will remain viable in the coming years thanks to services, better access to hardware, and hybrid monetisation.

Source: newzoo, gamesindustry

Illustration: newzoo