‘Record revenues for PC games market’

PC gaming software sales hit a record $18.6 billion in 2011, according to new research.

The report by non-profit organisation PC Gaming Alliance claims that the market grew by 15 per cent from the previous year.

It also claimed that no geographical market segments tracked a decline in PC game revenue last year.

China’s PC gaming market grew by 27 per cent, accounting for a third of global revenues.

The UK, US, South Korea, Japan and Germany together recorded a rise of 11 per cent, up to $8 billion.

The report put much of the revenue rise down to free-to-play companies such as Zynga, Bigpoint and Nexon, which have all continued to expand throughout the year, whilst Zynga and Nexon also launched IPOs.

It also referenced blockbuster releases such as Modern Warfare 3, Skyrim and Battlefield 3 as key for the market showing strong growth.

The PGCA claimed that the PC game business will grow 37 per cent to an estimated total of $25.5 billion in the next three years.

“The PC Gaming juggernaut continues unabated, across the industry and geographic boundaries,” said PCGA president Matt Ployhar.

“While reports of gaming sales at retail show signs of struggle, the impact hasn’t been as great for PC gaming which had an earlier adoption of newer formats, business-models & delivery with: digital distribution, free-to-play, and subscriptions fueling PC gaming’s strong global growth.”