The global video gaming market is set to grow 11.1 per cent a year until 2017, boosted by a new generation of consoles and the increasing popularity of online games, according to IDATE digital research and consultancy firm.
The market, estimated at 53.9 billion euros (HK$572 billion) this year, is expected to soar to 82.1 billion euros in 2017, the France-based firm said in a report.
Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft, which are jostling for control of the gaming market, have each released the latest versions of their consoles ahead of the Christmas shopping season.
The wave of new devices is expected to keep the market buoyant until 2017, IDATE said.
Home consoles like Sony’s PlayStation or Microsoft’s Xbox, which make up 31 per cent of the market today, are expected to have a 40 per cent share of the total market in 2017.
Handheld consoles such as Nintendo’s 3DS or Sony’s PSVita, which have a share of about 22 per cent this year, are projected to record declining share to 13 per cent in 2017, in the face of increasing strong competition from tablets and mobile phones.