Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- Positive outlook for the console gaming market
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- Figure 1: Forecast value of video game and console sales in the UK, 2010-20
- New generation static consoles have strong appeal
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- Figure 2: Ownership of and plans to purchase static video game consoles, July 2015
- Portable consoles becoming a specialist product
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- Figure 3: Ownership of and plans to purchase portable video game consoles, July 2015
- Tablets and static consoles compete as preferred gaming device
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- Figure 4: Gaming frequency on the devices owned/in the household, July 2015
- Portable consoles struggle to show multifunctionality
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- Figure 5: Other activities done on game consoles owned/in the household, by console type, July 2015
- Static consoles become living-room entertainment hubs
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- Figure 6: Attitudes to game consoles, July 2015
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Bringing new generation static consoles into the mainstream
- The facts
- Implications
- Adapting to changing dynamics in the handheld segment
- The facts
- Implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Positive outlook for the console gaming market
- Digital distribution is fast growing
- Blurred boundaries between consoles and set-top boxes
- Speeding up the adoption of current generation consoles
- It is not all about playing anymore
- Multifunctional smartphones and tablets boost mobile gaming
Market Size, Segmentation and Forecast
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- Positive outlook for the console gaming market
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- Figure 7: Forecast value of video game and console sales in the UK, 2010-20
- Figure 8: Forecast value of video game and console sales in the UK, 2010-20
- Virtual reality drives static console sales
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- Figure 9: Forecast value of console sales in the UK, 2010-20
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- Figure 10: Forecast value of console sales in the UK, 2010-20
- Big AAA titles to skyrocket sales
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- Figure 11: Forecast value of video game sales in the UK, 2010-20
- Figure 12: Forecast value of video game sales in the UK, 2010-20
Market Drivers
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- Digital distribution is fast growing
- Blurred boundaries between consoles and set-top boxes
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- Figure 13: Amazon Fire TV game controller (second generation), September 2015
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- Figure 14: Apple’s Siri Remote (right) and the third-party Nimbus Steelseries controller (left), September 2015
- Backward compatibility could speed up console upgrades
- It is not all about playing anymore
- Multifunctional smartphones and tablets boost mobile gaming
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- Figure 15: Household ownership of smartphones and tablets, July 2012-June 2015
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- Figure 16: Breakdown of the value of the combined gaming market by segment, 2014
Key Players – What You Need to Know
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- PlayStation 4 continues to outperform competition
- Nintendo controls a shrinking handheld market
- High barriers to entry leave no space for indie advertising
- Nintendo’s next console rumoured to arrive in 2016
- Sony bets on Virtual Reality, Microsoft picks Augmented
- Back to the origins
Market Share
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- PlayStation 4 continues to outperform competition
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- Figure 17: Share of static console unit sales, UK, 2014
- Nintendo controls a shrinking handheld market
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- Figure 18: Share of handheld console unit sales, UK, 2014
Brand Communication and Promotion
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- High barriers to entry leave no space for indie advertising
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- Figure 19: Top 10 companies for recorded above-the-line, online display and direct mail total advertising expenditure on video games and consoles, 2014
- Methodology and coverage
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Nintendo’s next console rumoured to arrive in 2016
- Sony bets on Virtual Reality, Microsoft picks Augmented
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- Figure 20: PlayStation VR headset used with PlayStation Move controls, 2015
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- Figure 21: HoloLens headset
- Back to the origins
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- Figure 22: Arduboy prototypes in its five colour variants, July 2015
- Consoles will now feature mouse and keyboard
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- Figure 23: Tactical Assault Commander 4, September 2015
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- New generation static consoles have strong appeal
- Portable consoles becoming a specialist product
- Tablets and static consoles compete to be the preferred gaming device
- First-person shooter the most popular genre
- Portable consoles struggle to show multifunctionality
- Static consoles become living-room entertainment hubs
Console Ownership and Plans to Purchase
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- Old generation consoles still dominate the market
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- Figure 24: Ownership of and plans to purchase video game consoles (nets), July 2015
- Young men and parents of under-18s more likely to own multiple consoles
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- Figure 25: Repertoire of static and portable consoles owned, July 2015
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- Figure 26: Other activities done on game consoles owned/in the household (any console), by repertoire of static and portable consoles owned, July 2015
- New generation static consoles have strong appeal
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- Figure 27: Ownership of and plans to purchase static video game consoles, July 2015
- Portable consoles becoming a specialist product
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- Figure 28: Ownership of and plans to purchase portable video game consoles, July 2015
Gaming Frequency and Modality
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- Tablets and static consoles compete to be the preferred gaming device
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- Figure 29: Gaming frequency on the devices owned/in the household, July 2015
- Men drive console gaming while women prefer tablets
- Gaming frequency differs by game genres
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- Figure 30: Proportion of consumers who play video games on static console at least once a week, by game genres, July 2015
- Online multiplayer meets ‘all-you-can-play’
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- Figure 31: Gaming modality, July 2015
Genres of Games Played
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- Fragmented perception of Nintendo’s products
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- Figure 32: Genres of games played, July 2015
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- Figure 33: Static consoles owned by selected game genres played, July 2015
- Success of health apps could revive interest in health games
Other Activities Done on Game Consoles
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- Half of console owners use the device to watch videos
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- Figure 34: Other activities done on game consoles owned/in the household, July 2015
- Portable consoles struggle to show multifunctionality
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- Figure 35: Other activities done on game consoles owned/in the household, by console type, July 2015
- Gamers the most likely to use static consoles as entertainment hubs
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- Figure 36: Other activities done on static game consoles owned/in the household, by gaming habits on static consoles owned, July 2015
Attitudes to Game Consoles
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- Static consoles become living-room entertainment hubs
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- Figure 37: Attitudes to game consoles, July 2015
- A new mobile frontier of console gaming?
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Data sources
- Abbreviations
- Market size and forecast
- Fan chart forecast
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- Figure 38: Best- and worst-case forecast value of video game and console sales in the UK, 2010-20
- Figure 39: Best- and worst-case forecast value of console sales in the UK, 2010-20
- Figure 40: Best- and worst-case forecast value of video game sales in the UK, 2010-20
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