The
number of online game players rose 22 percent in May compared to a year
ago, drawing more than 87 million players in the U.S., according to market researcher comScore.
That improvement is a stark contrast to the slide in overall console game revenues in the U.S., which fell 23 percent compared to a year ago in dollar sales, according to market researcher NPD.
The comScore analysis showed that gamers are increasingly opting for cheap entertainment alternatives, driven by the recession. Some analysts are expecting console games to post a 20 percent drop in game sales in June, compared to a year ago. Later in the year, a rebound is expected. NPD numbers for June console sales will be out on July 16.
Yahoo Games ranked No. 1 in the category with 19.4 million visitors
(up 6 percent from a year ago), or roughly 22 percent of the online
game market in May. It was followed by EA online with 18 million
visitors, up 34 percent from a year ago, Nickelodeon Casual Games with
14.8 million visitors, and WildTangent Network with 13.8 milli0n
visitors, up 16 percent.
GSN Games Networks grew 563 percent to 6 million visitors, thanks to
the addition of partners WorldWinner.com and CrazyMonkeyGames.com.
Online games are growing at 10 times the rate of the overall U.S.
Internet population, said Edward Hunter, comScore director of gaming
solutions. The category is expanding both through the growth of web
sites and through the growth of widgets that allow games to be
distributed across a variety of sites.
Viral distribution of games (where a company’s game appears on
numerous different sites) is catching on. MochiMedia reached a combined
audience of 16.9 million in May, greater than all but two sites in the
online gaming category. Games2Win reached 1.8 million people, which
compares favorably with the top 20 sites in the category, while Tetris
Online reached 165,000 people.
http://games.venturebeat.com/2009/07/11/as-console-games-slide-online-games-up-22-percent-compared-to-a-year-ago/
por FILIP_FB Qua Dez 05, 2012 11:20 am
