PC Gaming Market breakdown or something *spawn*

[IQandHDR]

heheheh women can enter missus mode, dangerous and intractable. Any gaming PC is one heck of a computer for productivity stuff.

Yeah, she used to edit and encode videos on her mobile from before we met and when we moved in together I installed the same software on my PC, she was converted in an instant.
She had her mind blown by the speed and quality, so I kinda made the "problem" myself

 

[IQandHDR]

Gamers choosing more older games in 2024 to play, only 15% of time were spent on games released in 2024:

Only 15% of all Steam users' time was spent playing games released in 2024

Steam's end-of-year review of what we play and how we play makes for some interesting reading.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[see colon]

I wonder if PC Gamepass is cutting down on people playing new releases on Steam. I know, anecdotally for me, I play many more new releases on Gamepass and pick them up on Steam when they are on sale, or sometimes on Xbox if they are play anywhere.

 

[cheapchips]

The headline goes straight for the negative drama. They could have gone with "players playing new releases on Steam nearly doubled in 2024."

 

[hughJ]

I'd expect the number of people playing PC games that came out in a given year depends entirely on the number of big PC game releases that came out that year? Other than PoE2 I can't think of another big PC release this year.

 

[arandomguy]

Would need more context with other platforms.

But it shouldn't be surprising as the industry in general recognizes long term engagement from GaaS and Valve has two of their own long running ones with CS and DOTA2 I believe typically accounting for ~5% of the player count (and likely a higher percentage of the actively playing count) by themselves.

Even for non GaaS high replayable games you are looking at games like Stardew, The Sims, Civilization and etc. The newest story driven SP games are short in terms of overall play time by comparison.

I'd expect the number of people playing PC games that came out in a given year depends entirely on the number of big PC game releases that came out that year? Other than PoE2 I can't think of another big PC release this year.

By the numbers Palworld. Also Marvel Rivals is comparable in popularity with POE2.

 

[IQandHDR]

I'd expect the number of people playing PC games that came out in a given year depends entirely on the number of big PC game releases that came out that year? Other than PoE2 I can't think of another big PC release this year.

"Black Myth - Wukong" was one.
"Stalker 2" Another
"Frost Punk 2"
Some might also call "Call of Duty: Black Ops 6" a major release.
There are more, but saying that 2024 just had onebig game is a false narrative.

 

[hughJ]

I didn't say there was only one big game, I said I couldn't think of another. My point stands regardless -- the number of popular releases in a given year is naturally going to influence the player trends for that year. In 1998 there would have been a lot of time spent on 1998 game releases. Same with 2004. The adjacent years comparatively less so. 2024 might have been bigger than 2023, but I don't think 2024 was a particularly noteworthy year overall, so it would be expected that the last few decades' worth of content would cumulatively dwarf this year's releases. These days with on-demand streaming the same probably holds true for tv, film, music. Anecdotally, I don't think I've watched or listened to a single show, movie, or song that was released this year.

 

[IQandHDR]

I didn't say there was only one big game, I said I couldn't think of another. My point stands regardless -- the number of popular releases in a given year is naturally going to influence the player trends for that year. In 1998 there would have been a lot of time spent on 1998 game releases. Same with 2004. The adjacent years comparatively less so. 2024 might have been bigger than 2023, but I don't think 2024 was a particularly noteworthy year overall, so it would be expected that the last few decades' worth of content would cumulatively dwarf this year's releases. These days with on-demand streaming the same probably holds true for tv, film, music. Anecdotally, I don't think I've watched or listened to a single show, movie, or song that was released this year.

Sample size of 1 is irrelevant

 

[hughJ]

It would be irrelevant if I were using it as a basis for a statistical argument. I wasn't doing that. That's why I prefaced it with "anecdotally", to make sure any well intentioned passerby might not be confused. Perhaps I should have bolded and underlined it.

 

[Davros]

Could it be that people haven't finished playing the games released in 2023

 

[IQandHDR]

Numbers of new games for 2024:

Steam breaks record with over 18,000 new titles released in 2024

That's a lot of games to choose from.

www.tomshardware.com

 

[Cyan]

 

[Cyan]

The PC gaming market continues to demonstrate its strength and attractiveness compared to other industry segments. According to a study by Epyllion based on data from companies such as IDG, Newzoo and Circana, while console sales have shown signs of stagnation since 2021, the PC segment continues to rise, having grown in revenue by 20% since that year and adding an additional $50 billion since 2011.

Report Reveals PC Games Outsell Console Games

Un informe revela que los juegos de PC superan enormemente en ventas a los de consola

El mercado de juegos de PC crece un 20% desde 2021, impulsado por su flexibilidad, y una amplia biblioteca.

www.hd-tecnologia.com

Gaming PCs on the rise while consoles suffer: why do gamers choose PC over console?
The main reasons why PC games continue to generate ample economic returns for their creators. Sony and Microsoft can't be very happy.

Los PC gaming en auge mientras las consolas sufren: ¿por qué los gamers eligen PC sobre consola?

Las principales razones por la que los juegos de PC siguen generando amplios rendimientos económicos a sus creadores. Sony y Microsoft no pueden estar muy contentos.

computerhoy.20minutos.es

PC games sell more than those of console in 2024 and generate 30,000 million dollars

Los juegos de PC se venden más que los de consola en 2024 y generan 30.000 millones de dólares

Un estudio analiza la evolución de las ventas de juegos y vemos como en 2024 el PC supera a las consolas en cuanto a ventas e ingresos.

elchapuzasinformatico.com

PC games are ahead of consoles, a hope for the video game industry

Los juegos de PC se adelantan a las consolas, una esperanza para la industria del videojuego - Creo Gaming

Hoy, Matthew Ball, director ejecutivo de la firma de inversiones Epyllion, reveló un borrador de una presentación titulada "El estado de los juegos en 2025". Este informe, basado en datos de empresas de investigación como IDG, Newzoo y Circana, presenta un panorama matizado de las tendencias en...

www.creocommunity.es

Link to the original report:

https://www.matthewball.co/all/stateofvideogaming2025

 

[arandomguy]

I've only skimmed some of the actual research presentation but framing this against consoles in that way is going to give the wrong impression in terms of the relevance to the audience on here or what those articles are targetting. But it's catchy right? Also I guess it's convienent to ignore how it shows mobile growth compared to both PC and consoles.

Yes PC gaming is growing relative to the consoles in terms of spending but it's driven by a combination of GaaS and non western/Japan markets. This not showing that AAA SP games are migrating to the PC at this rate in western markets/Japan.

By the way that research article defines AAA games as including PUBG, Freefire, LoL, and Robolox. I'm guessing that is not what the audience on here thinks of in terms of AAA gaming.

 

[Cyan]

I've only skimmed some of the actual research presentation but framing this against consoles in that way is going to give the wrong impression in terms of the relevance to the audience on here or what those articles are targetting. But it's catchy right? Also I guess it's convienent to ignore how it shows mobile growth compared to both PC and consoles.

Yes PC gaming is growing relative to the consoles in terms of spending but it's driven by a combination of GaaS and non western/Japan markets. This not showing that AAA SP games are migrating to the PC at this rate in western markets/Japan.

By the way that research article defines AAA games as including PUBG, Freefire, LoL, and Robolox. I'm guessing that is not what the audience on here thinks of in terms of AAA gaming.

maybe it's just that this generation has been a disaster. Lots of cancelled games, even on the most popular console, suggest that, among other factors.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1880046235337302382

Lists of Sony’s Cancelled Live Service PS5 Games Paint a Worrying Picture

How many of the 12 confirmed projects are still alive?

www.pushsquare.com

Changes in the way our society plays games might be a factor too.

 

[Cyan]

The commitment to the PC skyrockets with 80% of developers working on this platform​

While console gamers fight, PC users see the future with a smile on their faces.

In 2023, 66% of developers surveyed said they were working on a PC game, and in 2024 this figure rises to 80%. It's unclear why this 14 percentage point increase is due, but in part it could be attributed to Steam Deck, which 44% of respondents are interested in. In any case, it is clear that in the video game industry the PC as a development platform is unrivaled. The survey confirms something that Steam has been experimenting with for some time with the number of concurrent users connected or the number of annual releases.

https://www.gamedeveloper.com/busin...industry-devs-weigh-in-on-layoffs-ai-and-more

 

[hughJ]

Presumably "PC games" is including any games that happen to get a PC release, not games that were designed from the ground up to exclusively target the PC. My expectation would be that as the console generation ages you see a growing minimum viable PC spec install base, making the business case for porting your game to PC stronger year by year. At this point any studio not releasing a PC version of their game really ought to have a good reason for doing so, otherwise they're leaving money on the table.

I'd be more interested to see data on which mode of input is the primary design target. Touch vs controller vs mouse/keyboard. That would be much more indicative of actual commitment to a platform because you're making permanent game design decisions around that. With SteamDeck, Switch2, consoles, and Win/MS/XBox handhelds will the momentum for controller-based games push mouse/keyboard increasingly to the sidelines? What is the input-of-choice among kids for Fortnite, Roblox, Minecraft, etc? Are young kids who primarily game on mobile more likely to gravitate to console, PC, (or neither)?