The video game industry is growing across all platforms, from casual console players and dedicated PC gamers to people playing mobile games in their downtime. SafeBettingSites.com has put together reports, publishing its findings on payments within the gaming industry, looking specifically at how much subscriptions and mobile gaming are contributing to the industry’s global revenue.
52 per cent Of All US Gamers And 62 per cent Of Avid Gamers Use Game Subscription Services
The subscription-based model has become the new normal in the entertainment industry, and the gaming sector hasn’t remained untouched. These gaming services offer a variety of games to end-users at a fixed monthly fee. Gaming subscription services such as Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Now, Apple Arcade, EA Play, etc., have become an integral part of the industry. According to Juniper Research, revenues from such services stood at $6.6billion in 2020, and they are expected to reach $11billion in 2025.
According to a recent survey, these services have found a wide acceptance among US gamers. 52 per cent of all US gamers and 62 per cent of all avid US gamers say that they use one or more of such services. The acceptance rate is even higher among console and PC users. 74 per cent of console users in the US currently have access to such services. This figure means that three out of every four console video gamers shell out money for these monthly services. The acceptance rate among PC users is slightly lower at 66 per cent, i.e., two out of every three PC gamers use these services.
The survey considered gamers who play at least seven hours of video games every week as avid gamers.
75 per cent Of Millennial Gamers Use Subscription Services In The US
Gaming subscription services have the most considerable acceptance among millennial gamers in the United States. According to the survey, 75 per cent of millennial gamers, including casual and avid, use one or more of such services in the country.
The acceptance rate among Gen Z gamers is lower than that among Millennials. Only 62 per cent of Gen Z gamers said they pay for subscription services like Game Pass, PS Now, and more. Slightly less than half of Gen X gamers pay for gaming subscription models. 49 per cent of this age group admits to using these services.
Expectedly, Baby Boomers are the least interested in such subscription models, with only 15 per cent of gamers in that age group currently using them.
Vyom Chaudhary, an editor at SafeBettingSites, commented: “With the launch of the new generation of consoles, video games have become ever so expensive. It’s no surprise that gaming subscription services have become so popular among avid gamers. These services provide an economical route to these gamers to enjoy video games en masse.”
Role-Playing Games Account For 21.3 per cent Of Mobile-Gaming Revenues
A recent report from Newzoo and Pangle has claimed that Role-Playing was the highest-grossing mobile gaming genre in 2020. The entire mobile gaming industry earned $86.9billion in 2020. Of this amount, $18.5billion were attributed to role-playing games. This figure constitutes 21.3 per cent of the entire yearly revenue.
RPG mobile games are a rage among gamers globally. However, they are particularly popular in East Asian nations. According to the report, RPG games generated a total of $13.34billion in China, Japan, and South Korea. Thus, these three East Asian nations were responsible for 72 per cent of the global revenue generated by RPG mobile games.
China was the leading market for RPG games in 2020. The games in this genre generated $7.84billion in the Chinese market. Japan was the second biggest market for RPG games, with the Island country generating $3.46billion in revenues. South Korea was not far behind, contributing $2.04billion in revenues.
RPG-Domination Limited To East Asian Countries
The popularity of RPG games doesn’t quite translate to the Western market. 22 out of 50 top-grossing mobile games belonged to the RPG genre in Japan. In South Korea, 29 out of 50 were RPG games.
In comparison, in the United States, only 9 RPG games are featured in the top 50 grossing mobiles games. Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, only seven RPG games featured in the top 50 grossing mobile games.
The report also sheds light on how different genres of RPG games are popular in different regions. In Japan, Collection RPGs are gamers’ favourite. 11 collection RPGs featured in the top 50 grossing games in Japan, with Fate/Grand Order taking the top spot.
In South Korea, MMORPG games are prevalent among gamers. A total of 16 MMORPG games were among the top 50 grossing mobile games in the country, with Lineage 2M taking the top spot.
In the United States, Marvel Strike Force and Pokémon GO were the most popular RPG mobile games, while RAID: Shadow Legends and Pokémon GO took top spots in the UK.
