Can Microsoft Control PC Game Distribution?

Can Microsoft Control PC Game Distribution?

PC game sales soared in 2020 driven by Covid stay-at-home orders. Sales leveled off in 2021 and the latest DFC forecasts predict a slight decline in 2022. However, at $37 billion a year the PC game business is as strong as ever and is the most lucrative platform for a wide range of products. With the potential Microsoft acquisition of Activision Blizzard, a major question is whether there will be a shakeup in PC software di.....
Subscription Services Drive Video Game Market Growth

Subscription Services Drive Video Game Market Growth

It is no secret that video game software delays will result in a weak holiday 2022 product lineup.  However, overall video game revenue in 2022 is expected to see continued growth without major new hits.  This is a sign of how the game industry has successfully moved to a games as a service model. In the latest DFC Intelligence market forecast 2022 software revenue from console and PC games .....
Can Video Game Software Really Sell at $70

Can Video Game Software Really Sell at $70

With the new game system launch for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X many are arguing that this will be the last major console hardware cycle.  However, the bigger issue is around software.  In the emerging digital age can game software maintain a premium price or are games doomed to go the way of the music industry? DFC has long argued that the demand for high-end dedicated hardware is huge and growing.  Ironically, this demand has only grown in the digital era where d.....
PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series: Is This the Last Generation of Video Game Console Systems?

PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series: Is This the Last Generation of Video Game Console Systems?

As a new generation of game consoles launches many observers are again wondering if this will be the end of the console era. In other words, as games go online, will game hardware, like many consumer electronics products, become a commodity? This question has been asked for years, but now takes on new importance given the strategy of companies like Microsoft that increasingly view game offerings as part of a hardware agnostic service. The PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series S/X will be in sh.....
Microsoft Flight Simulator Highlights A Bold Microsoft Strategy

Microsoft Flight Simulator Highlights A Bold Microsoft Strategy

Much of the news about Microsoft’s plans for a new video game console system has come out this week.  What is clear is that Microsoft is focused on a service-based subscription model.  However, one of the best indications of where Microsoft is going may be Microsoft Flight Simulator which launched for PC in August. The Flight Simulator franchise has been around since 1982 when Microsoft was using it to promote IBM DOS-based PCs.  In 1996, the franchise moved to Windows.....
Microsoft Throws a Hail Mary with Xbox Series S

Microsoft Throws a Hail Mary with Xbox Series S

The rumors about a watered-down digital only version of the upcoming Microsoft Xbox Series X have been going on for quite some time. In the past few days the details about the system, originally known as Project Lockhart, started to catch fire. Finally, on Tuesday September 8, Microsoft officially announced the rumors were true and a new system the Xbox Series S would launch November 10, 2020. The Xbox Series S will launch at the bargain price of $299. However, the Xbox Series S featur.....
North American Video Game Publisher Values Soar 43% During COVID-19

North American Video Game Publisher Values Soar 43% During COVID-19

According to the latest analysis from DFC Intelligence, the market value of the leading console video game publishers in North America grew 43% in the six months from the end of February to the end of August.  This highlights a record five years of growth for the major North American video game publishers. The new DFC report is part of a series that looks at major players in the video.....