Annual PC market worth $11bn

Whilst the fragmentation of the PC market across traditional retail and online has made the entire segment hard to track, and even created the (debatable) belief that the sector is suffering severe decline, a new report from the PCGA claims that the PC remains the world’s number one games machine.

The report, entitled The PC Gaming Industry in 2008, claims that the annual global PC market is now worth $11bn – more than any of the leading consoles.

It adds that the PC has become the de facto gaming platform for consumers in key territories such as Asia, where consoles have yet to make any significant market penetration.

The three most significant PC gaming trends identified in the report are the growth of online digital distribution (with Valve name-dropped for the success it has enjoyed with its Steam network), the growth of free-to-play titles and the growing importance of pre-pay cards at retail.

Top PC games can regularly” generate over $50m at retail, with subsequent subscription and add0on revenues often exceeding this.