2016 was a healthy year for the video game industry, as it managed to generate over $30 billion in revenue in just the United States. The Entertainment Software Association announced today that video games generated $30.4 billion in 2016, which is a slight increase from the previous year. In 2015, the industry managed to post similar numbers, as it brought in $30.2 billion.
The growth is attributed to virtual reality entering the market, and mobile gaming continuing to rise in popularity. The most popular console games were cited as Battlefield 1, Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, Madden NFL 17, NBA 2K17 and Tom Clancy’s The Division, which the ESA said “drove consumer [spending].”
“2016 was another enormous year for the interactive entertainment industry,” said the ESA’s CEO Michael D. Gallagher in a prepared statement. “The industry’s innovative genius and ability to engage and delight billions of gamers worldwide delivered another record performance. Congratulations to the developers, storytellers, creators, and investors who defined the leaderboard for entertainment.”
The association, who used data from the NPD Group to come up with the figures, also highlighted video game software revenue. Here’s their findings:
Separately, ESA highlighted that video game software revenue grew 6 percent from the 2015 level. In 2016, video game software revenue, which includes physical packaged goods, mobile games, downloadable content, subscriptions, and other revenue streams, reached $24.5 billion—up from 23.2 billion in 2015.
It’s certainly good news that gaming’s upward trajectory is still intact, even if a $.2 billion increase is pretty minor all things considered. Regardless, gaming companies will be looking to make 2017 the most successful year to date. We’ll find out over time if they’ll be able to match it.
(Source: Entertainment Software Association)
