Massively http://massively.joystiq.com Massively http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/http://massively.joystiq.com/media/feedlogo.gif Massively http://massively.joystiq.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[Online sales will dominate the market by 2013]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/13/online-sales-will-dominate-the-market-by-2013/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/13/online-sales-will-dominate-the-market-by-2013/http://massively.joystiq.com/2011/09/13/online-sales-will-dominate-the-market-by-2013/#commentsFiled under: , ,

Steam
If you purchase your video games from a brick and mortar retailer, chances are you will be in the minority in just a couple of years.

GamesIndustry.biz cites a new report that predicts online game sales will become the dominant force in the market by 2013 through individual websites, retailers like Amazon.com, and video game distributors like Steam. A DFC Intelligence analyst noted that boxed game sales already peaked in 2008, and that as physical game sales slowly decline, online sales will pick up at a marked pace. DFC is a research and consulting firm that covers the field of video games.

Last year, online game retailers sold over $19.3 billion worth of digital merchandise -- a figure that's expected to rise to $37.9 billion by 2016. While real-world stores have much to worry about as the market shifts in the direction of online sales, the industry as a whole is expected to continue to substantially increase its growth over the next half-decade. One of the "key drivers" for that growth is PC games.

The analysts also predicted that in-game advertising will increase two-fold in the next few years as advertisers realize the potential for this blossoming market.

MassivelyOnline sales will dominate the market by 2013 originally appeared on Massively on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>advertisingamazonamazon.comanalysisanalystbrick-and-mortardfc-intelligencegamesindustry.bizin-game-advertisingonline-retailersonline-salesphysical-salessteamTue, 13 Sep 2011 10:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Virtual sales boom, will top $3 billion in five years]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/virtual-sales-boom-will-top-3-billion-in-five-years/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/virtual-sales-boom-will-top-3-billion-in-five-years/http://massively.joystiq.com/2010/03/29/virtual-sales-boom-will-top-3-billion-in-five-years/#commentsFiled under: , , , ,


Gamasutra reports on a new study from research firm DFC Intelligence that concludes that sales of virtual goods are on the rise. The study surveyed 5,000 gamers from Europe and North America for a two-month period in early 2010, and also sampled seven years of Live Gamer historical data. Live Gamer, a virtual world monetization company with clients that include Sony Online Entertainment and Funcom, partnered with DFC for the study.

DFC reports that 88 percent of their survey base purchased virtual content, a label that includes everything from MMO microtransactions, to music, to movies and games. Sixty percent of this group said their digital purchases were in-game items.

DFC says the growing trend of virtual item sales paints a bright future for MMORPGs as well as social networking platforms, predicting that total item sales for "MMOG Lite" titles will exceed $3 billion by 2015. Head on over to Gamasutra for the full article.

MassivelyVirtual sales boom, will top $3 billion in five years originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 21:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dfc-intelligencefacebookitem-shoplive-gamermicrotransactionssocial-networkingvirtual-goodsvirtual-worldsMon, 29 Mar 2010 21:00:00 EST<![CDATA[How do MMOs make money?]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/15/how-do-mmos-make-money/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/15/how-do-mmos-make-money/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/03/15/how-do-mmos-make-money/#commentsFiled under: , , ,

The Simple Lifeforms blog went through a recent DFC Intelligence report on the most commercially successful MMOs and pulled out some interesting points. World of Warcraft took home the most revenue for a single game in 2008 with an estimated $500M+ and all MMOs combined (worldwide) earned an estimated $1,875M.

The top 10 earners list for 2008 included only one game that launched in the 1990s and that MMO was Lineage I. The majority of the top 10 list also featured MMOs of the fantasy genre, which probably won't come as a surprise.

Simple Lifeforms classified four primary ways that make MMOs money: retail, subscription, virtual goods sales (aka RMT), and hybrid models. While the retail/subscription model is generally considered the tried and true way to run your MMO business by most of the big publishers, you might find it interesting that only half of the top 10 list is comprised of these types of MMOs.

An unfortunate drawback of the DFC Intelligence report is that the revenue figures for the nine titles other than WoW have very large spreads. We see they made more than $150M and less than $500M but aren't given anything more specific than that.

MassivelyHow do MMOs make money? originally appeared on Massively on Sun, 15 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>DFC-intelligencelineage-iirmtsubscription-basedworld-of-warcraftwowSun, 15 Mar 2009 20:00:00 EST<![CDATA[Top 10 money-making MMOs of 2008]]>http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/02/top-10-money-making-mmos-of-2008/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/02/top-10-money-making-mmos-of-2008/http://massively.joystiq.com/2009/02/02/top-10-money-making-mmos-of-2008/#commentsFiled under: , , , , , , ,


In an upcoming "comprehensive study" by DFC Intelligence, they take a look at the top money-makers in the MMO space worldwide. To no one's surprise, World of Warcaft has topped the list, followed by several Asian MMOs like MapleStory, Lineage I and II, Shanda and Fantasy Westward Journey. As for the most users, this study doesn't touch on that. With such a wide discrepancy between active subscribers and prepaid game card users, it's a difficult number to tack down.

What makes this list frustrating is the complete lack of details involved. While WoW is reported to have earned $500 million+ in 2008, the next four on the list are reporting $150-$500 million, and the final five are reporting anything in the $50-$150 million range. To the company's credit, this isn't the final analysis. Their detailed February 16th report promises to give more information on each of the top 10 games. We certainly look forward to that.

MassivelyTop 10 money-making MMOs of 2008 originally appeared on Massively on Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>dfc-intelligencefantasy-westward-journeylineagelineage-2maplestorymoney-makingrevenueshandaworld-of-warcraftwowMon, 02 Feb 2009 13:00:00 EST