Consumer spending on computer games and equipment is tipped to grow 10.4% to $74 billion (€51.1 billion) in 2011, with software sales top of the list.
Research firm Gartner predicts spending on computer software will hit $44.7 billion, fueled by rising sales of mobile games to smartphone and tablet PC users. Software as a whole will account for 66% of consumer spending through 2015, the firm states, with the share of mobile games rising from 15% in 2010 to 20% by 2015.
Principal analyst Tuong Nguyen notes that while smartphones aren’t primarily used for gaming “mobile games are the most downloaded application category across most application stores.”
However, dedicated games consoles aren’t on the ropes, with the firm predicting spending will grow 4% to $17.8 billion in 2011. Online gaming is tipped to hit $11.9 billion.