The gaming industry has been on growth trajectory for several years, with recent projections indicating further gains in 2016. Although these expectations were high, they were met and then some.
According to market research firm SuperData, the gaming industry generated over $91 billion in revenue during 2016. In contrast, 2015 was estimated to have brought in $74.2 billion, indicating 20% growth during the past year. The source of that spending may surprise you.
Continuing trends, 2016 saw mobile revenue at an all-time high. Accounting for $40.6 billion, it led all platforms with a record number of downloads and purchases, Pokemon GO revenue being chief among them.
PC came slightly behind at $35.8 billion thanks to record-breaking microtransaction numbers earned by League of Legends, Dungeon Fighter Challenge, World of Tanks, Crossfire, and Dota 2. Surprisingly, console gaming only accounted for $6.6 billion, falling well short of the primary platforms.
eSports has seen growth during the year. SuperData states that it has become a "focal point for publishers, TV executives, and advertisers". Increased prize pools, participation, and viewership has fueled this growth.
VR accounting for $2.7 billion may come as a surprise given its slow adoption. This figure has been propelled by a large margin thanks to Samsung Gear VR sales, in addition to late quarter PSVR success.
It is expected that the gaming industry will finally break $100 billion during 2017.
