Online Gaming Markets to 2007
Online Gaming Markets to 2007 - The New Growth Opportunities
GIC authored this in-depth look at the online PC games industry in 2004, the first major report to do so. We focused on the massively multiplayer online games market and the casual web-based games market. You purchase it here.
This 2004 report is the first comprehensive study into the rapidly growing market for online gaming and was written by Games Investor Consulting for Screen Digest. The report provides complete analysis on the markets for a variety of online games markets including browser gaming and massively multi-player online games (MMOGs).
The market for online gaming will continue to grow rapidly – doubling over the next 4 years. MMOG will remain the largest segment of the overall market, but over the longer term, broadband games-on-demand services are expected to make a larger contribution. Pay-per-play browser gaming is the hottest of the new online gaming sub-sectors.
The report looks at 5 key sectors of the online gaming market:
- Browser and browser plug-in online games
- Massively multi player online games (MMOGs)
- Boxed product PC games featuring free online play
- Online games technology and service providers
- Digital games delivery (including games-on-demand)
Key Findings from the Report
• The total market for online games will double between 2004 and 2007
• Growth is currently being driven by pay-per-play browser gaming and by MMOGs
• Pay-per-play gaming is expected to grow at a compound rate of 40% between now and 2007
• Hardcore online gaming remains predominantly a male activity, but growth within the casual gaming market is being driven by women.
• Europe will be the biggest growth market for MMOGs as the US market reaches saturation point.
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Market Definition
Introduction
1 Geographic coverage
2 Sectoral coverage
Browser-based games
Massively multi-player online games
Digital distribution
3 Addressable markets
Online games usage
Broadband
Household activity
PC ownership trends
Relationship to the offline market
4 Demographics of online games service
Casual online gamers
Hard-core online gamers
More mass market
Gender profile
Social dimension
Younger profile
Single males the core market
5 The browser-based online games market
Market trends
Technology platform types
Game content types
Casual gameplay types
Casual game community management
Advertising business models
The pay-per-play online games market
Pay-per-play gaming market forecasts
Selected company profiles
Other casual games business models
The casual games download market
6 The massively multi-player online games market
Intellectual property rights (IPR)
MMOG development trends and costs
MMOG business models
Alternative and ancillary revenue streams
MMOG market forecasts
The impact of online MMOGs
Selected company profiles
7 Boxed product PC games with free online play
Historical background
"Modding"
Genre popularity
Business models
Related business models
8 Online games technology and service providers
Network games middleware providers
Hosting and bandwidth market
Billing and security companies
Billing and security company profiles
9 The digital games delivery market
The game downloads market
Game download business models
Games downloads company profiles
The application streaming market
Games-on-demand services
Games-on-demand market forecast
