PC games market has grown 20% to $16bn

The worldwide market for PC games grew some 20 per cent last year, according to a report by platform advocacy group the PC Gaming Alliance.
The PCGA's latest 'Horizons' report claims that the market reached a record $16.2 billion in revenue for 2010, with no decline observed in any region.
More traditional PC gaming markets the US, UK, Germany, Korea and Japan in total managed $7.3 billion in revenue based on 19 per cent growth. However, star of the show was China, creating sales of $4.8 billion.
Said PCGA boss Matt Ployar, "The spotlight has definitely shifted back to the PC game market. A few of the biggest factors fuelling this movement are innovative business models making games more accessible with digital distribution, free to play, and online; along with game formats embracing the shifts occurring in the evolution of the PC ecosystem to remain more profitable.
"Large game publishers are looking at digital revenue on the PC game platform as one of their key areas of growth and it is clear that the performance of the PC game market in 2010 is resulting in substantial investment money flowing into the PC game business."
The full report, which was carried out for the PCGA by DFC Intelligence, is only available to PCGA members; joining costs $5000 or $30,000. The full methodology of the report is unknown at present, but major download services such as Steam famously decline to provide sales data to outside parties.

http://www.gamesindustry.biz/article...ent-to-USD16bn