Nearly half of the world’s population plays video games. This is according to a new report from market research firm DFC Intelligence.
- DFC shared the data in its Global Video Game Consumer Market Overview (via GamesIndustry.biz). The number of gamers has now reached 3.7 billion worldwide.
- However, this figure is “fairly meaningless and mainly used for grabbing headlines,” according to the firm. This is because the core consumer base, which drives revenues for game companies, is “only about 10% of the 3.7 billion.”
- On top of that, analysts noted that to get the most accurate data possible for a specific product, these 370 million core players need to be further sub-segmented.
- Only about 300 million consumers buy hardware like PCs and consoles specifically to play games.
- According to the DFC report, more than 100 million core console gamers are concentrated in North America.
- There are also a little over 20 million core console consumers in Japan. Other top countries include the UK, Germay, France, and Spain.
Source: DFC
- Analysts also noted that game companies have a huge opportunity to transfer mobile-only players to larger platforms. The only thing is that “most companies in the game space are smart to narrow their focus to core consumers.”