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Forums - PC - NPD: PC online subscriptions exceed $1 Billion Yearly

shio on 09 May 2008

The NPD Group has released data indicating that the value of US online game subscriptions exceeds USD 1 billion annually.

This finding was based on data gathered between October 2007 and March 2008. The NPD also said that 11 million people subscribe to online games each month.

"Now that NPD can estimate the value of the subscription market, it's clear that there is a sizable chunk of revenue being generated by PC gaming beyond what is reflected in retail sales," said NPD analyst Anita Frazier.

Other analysts and execs have previously suggested that data showing a decline in PC sales does not reflect a true picture of the business because it does not account for digital distribution and online subscription sales.

NPD also analysed the demographics, finding that the majority of gaming website players are females over 35 years of age, while MMO players are largely males under age 35.

"The variety of content available to play games on the PC clearly can draw a diverse audience," Frazier said.

NPD has ranked the top MMOs and gaming websites for Q1 2008 in terms of subscribers as follows:

MMO/PC Games:

  • 1. World of Warcraft
  • 2. RuneScape
  • 3. Lord of the Rings Online
  • 4. Final Fantasy XI
  • 5. City of Heroes

Gaming Websites:

  • 1. Pogo.com
  • 2. Realarcade.com
  • 3. Bigfishgames.com
  • 4. Gametap.com
  • 5. Disney.com
So to all saying PC gaming is in decline: Suck It. Just the Online subscriptions' revenue is bigger than the entire PC boxed retail market (which was $910,7 millions last year), and they have yet to determine the revenue from Digital Distribution, Online Gamesites Advertisement and Ingame Item Sales.


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Squilliam on 09 May 2008

1,000,000,000 / $40 - the developers take on games and you have - 25,000,000

that means you have more revenue for the publishers than GTAIV + COD IV + Halo III combined.



Tease.

Sqrl on 09 May 2008

Note that this is just subscriptions not sales etc... or in other words its a small piece of a much larger pie.
To Each Man, Responsibility
WiiStation360 on 09 May 2008

I am pleasantly surprised to see City of Heroes at #5 still. I guess after WoW, there is a huge drop off.

I wonder when NPD will start tracking numbers from download services like Steam?



shio on 09 May 2008
WiiStation360 said:
I am pleasantly surprised to see City of Heroes at #5 still. I guess after WoW, there is a huge drop off.

I wonder when NPD will start tracking numbers from download services like Steam?
Too bad it will be harder to do that since publishers don't want people to see that Digital distribution is gaining more and more sales.

 



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FaRmLaNd on 18 May 2008

Its simple really. People equate retail presence with total marketshare. Which is ridiculous. PC gaming is hugely decentralised now, and its not shrinking at all.



Squilliam on 19 May 2008

These are just U.S numbers right? I think I read somewhere that worldwide at any one time there are 12million people logged into steam.



Tease.

kenzomatic on 19 May 2008

Very Interesting

Now how much of that is WoW? JK



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FaRmLaNd on 19 May 2008

I believe that steam has 15 million users.



MrKillerbees on 19 May 2008

That's a lot.

WoW got like 10.000.000 subscriptions. They had it atleast a few months ago.



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