Ampere Analysis has published its report on the performance of the video game market as far as the 2021noting a overall record spending from the public during the year, as well as some trends such as the decline in physical games, the growth of services and digital and 46% of spending on Sony products.
The study of Ampere Analysis reports that total spending on video games, between software and hardware, exceeded $ 60 billion in the course of 2021, representing a record for the gaming market in history, according to the research group.
Piers Harding-Rolls points out, however, that this expense is still pulled back by the limited availability on the market of PS5 and Xbox Series X | S, even if the increase in prices of the new consoles has partially compensated for the lack of sales due to the difficult availability.
In the face of an overall growth, the spending on games was almost stable but slightly down by 1% compared to the previous year, as regards games, expansions, in-game items and various battle passes, also given the large growth that these had achieved due to the various lockdowns.
For the rest, the expenses on servicesbetween online platforms and various subscriptions, which now cover 19% of total spending on game content, up 15% compared to 2020, with a significant growth that should continue in the coming years.
Conversely, the purchase of games in physical format, dropped below 30% for the first time in the history of the market. Practically only Nintendo Switch manages to compensate a little for the generalized decline in games in physical format, but the trend is now consolidated and should be further revealed also in 2022.
Based on the data, Sony confirms its leadership of the market in terms of total spending, with its products (including PlayStation consoles and related games) covering 46% of the complex, essentially stable with Nintendo covering 29% (with a 2% decrease compared to 2020) and Microsoft 25% (1% more than in 2020).
