For Over 25 Years DFC Intelligence Analysts Have Been Cited For Insights on the Video Game Industry

David Cole of DFC Intelligence is a widely quoted analyst sought out by leading business press including Bloomberg, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters, USA Today and Forbes as well as video game media including Game Developer (Gamasutra), GameDaily.biz, GamesIndustry.biz and many more. Reporters appreciate the candor DFC Intelligence provides in interviews which helps to influence stories, opinions and overall coverage. DFC values the role that media play in the gaming space and strives to be as accessible as possible to provide comments on companies, markets, technologies, titles and strategy.


News Release

EARLY NUMBERS FROM DFC TRACKING SUGGESTS EA MAY HAVE A HUGE HIT ON ITS HANDS October 26, 2016 SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – Based on the performance of Battlefield 1, which officially launched October 21, there is great reason to be optimistic about holiday 2016 and well into 2017. DFC believes that the good news is console game usage is stronger than ever. Early numbers from DFC tracking are sugge…..
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News Release

OVERALL GAME SOFTWARE SALES ARE EXPECTED TO BE UP 8% IN 2016 October 19, 2016 SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – Video Game Industry analyst firm DFC Intelligence has issued its latest forecast for the global video game market indicating that growth in the game industry is being driven by digital sales of games and high-end hardware. In 2016 overall game software sales are expected to be up 8% to $79 billion. This is despite a slowdown in…..
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News Release

COVERS KEY TRENDS & STRATEGIC OBSERVATIONS ON THE GAMES BUSINESS August 29, 2016 SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – DFC Intelligence and Woodside Capital Partners are pleased to be partnering on a series of new research reports examining the video game industry. The first report, Game Industry Overview, delves into key trends and presents strategic observations on the games business. The report is available free of charge to qualified …..
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News Release

EUROPE & NORTH AMERICA SEEING STRONG GROWTH DRIVEN BY HIGH-END GAMES, VR & ESPORTS August 1, 2016 SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – Electronic Game Industry analyst firm DFC Intelligence has issued a new report titled, The PC Game Market: Asia, North America and Europe, which forecast…..
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Analyst Note

GREETINGS FROM THE ANALYSTS AT DFC INTELLIGENCE December 2, 2015 SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – For a limited time through December 31st, your firm can lock in some of the biggest discounts on research packages from one of the most respected market research companies in th…..
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News Release

SOFTWARE & DEDICATED HARDWARE SALES EXPECTED TO SURPASS $100B IN 2018 April 26, 2016 SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – A series of new reports from DFC Intelligence examine growth prospects for the worldwide video game industry.  The reports forecast that the global video game industry will surpass $100 billion in 2018.  This inc…..
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Microsoft Announces Plan to Buy Activision Blizzard

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Today it was announced that Microsoft plans to acquire Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI) for $68.7 billion. This is the largest video game deal ever and it will likely take some time to go through. Here are our initial thoughts. • Activision Blizzard was looking in a weak position with internal turmoil. The thinking was the company would need to be split up with Activision, Blizzard, King as three separate parts. It was hard to imagine any company willing to swallow the whole pill. …..
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Take-Two Acquires Zynga in Major Move Into Mobile Games

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One week into 2022 we have our first major video game acquisition as Take-Two Interactive (NASDAQ: TTWO) intends to acquire mobile game publisher Zynga (NASDAQ: ZNGA). The acquisition will be another attempt by a console game publisher to enter the mobile game space. The big three North America console video game publishers, Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: EA), Activision Blizzard (NA…..
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Xbox Series X Consumer Survey

Consumer Interest In Xbox Still Behind PlayStation and Nintendo

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For several years DFC Intelligence has forecasted that PlayStation systems will continue to outperform Xbox systems by a significant margin. During 2021 there was some suggestion that interest in the Xbox Series X/S would increase with the Game Pass service and new exclusives like Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon 5. However, the latest DFC survey shows that consumers are still leaning heavily towards PlayStation and Nintendo systems. In a detailed survey conducted in October/November th…..
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Video Game Hardware Forecasts

Video Game Hardware Forecasted to Reach $135 Billion

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It has always been a great irony that, as video game software has gone digital, spending on hardware to play games has soared.  Unlike other entertainment industries, video game hardware is definitely not a commodity.  DFC Intelligence forecasts that global spending on video game hardware will grow from $82 billion in 2021 to $135 billion in 2026.  This includes console systems, PC hardware used for games and accessories such as controllers, headsets, gaming keyboards an…..
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Cloud Game Forcast

Cloud Gaming Forecasted to Reach $13.6 Billion by 2026

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The concept of consumers being able to stream games and interactive content directly from the cloud to any device has been around for years. In recent years this has started to become a reality with numerous streaming subscription services for games. A new report from DFC Intelligence forecasts that cloud gaming and interactive streaming will increase an order of magnitude over the next five years. However, much of that growth will occur for products and services that are not part of a…..
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Cloud Game survey

Global Survey Highlights Attraction of Major New Interactive Entertainment Frontier

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DFC Intelligence announced the results of a survey of global consumers focused on their expectations and preferences around interacting with streaming video content. The survey of nearly 5,000 people aged 13 and older, commissioned by Genvid Technologies and conducted over the summer, found that nearly all (96%) consumers watch streaming video content monthly and an overwhelming majority (85.4%) would interact with streamed content if they could. “We have been closely watching…..
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Throughout the years, DFC Intelligence has offered commentary on key topics of the time and has proven itself to be a reliable prognosticator of what’s current and what’s next in video gaming.

DFC Intelligence was an early tracker of online games and the movement to digital delivery. The Los Angeles Times and Salon are two examples of publications that contacted DFC to look ahead to online trends.

In both cases the major issue was how can the market grow and how many products can it support?

In 2002, The Los Angeles Times asked if Online Players Game for More Titles? The same year Salon did a deep piece on Showdown in cyberspace: Star Wars vs. The Sims

DFC was a pioneer in tracking the growth of a video game market in China.  Back in 2006 when there was no market the South China Morning Post quoted DFC on China as having major growth potential.  Of course, DFC underestimated that growth potential as China is now the world’s leading video game market.

In May 2006 South China Morning Post discussed an Alliance set to drive China gaming. DFC Intelligence discussed market size.

The Financial Times and Wall Street Journal were two publications that started to look at how online games might pioneer new business models and expand the audience. The focus was on mass market games going online. At the time, DFC Intelligence was working closely with companies like Lego and Disney to explore the market growth opportunities that exploded over the next decade.

In 2007 the Financial Times quoted DFC in an article about how Online extras drive computer games market. In 2009, the Wall Street Journal looked at the efforts of Disney, Lego, Marvel and others in Online Gaming: The Family Edition.

The past decade has seen enormous interest in the idea of cloud games, or what is now often called a Netflix for games. This trend has come and gone and saw its latest hype cycle in late 2019 when Google launched the Stadia service. As always, DFC Intelligence was around to burst a bubble in the latest big new thing, even as cloud games still have a big future.

The cloud game trend will only heat up in 2021 with new services from Microsoft and Amazon. This is a complicated on which DFC has a great deal to say. There will likely be some successful services but the competition will be stiff.

In October 2019, Investor’s Business Daily expressed DFC’s skepticism on new cloud services in Cloud Ventures Look to Upend the Traditional Video Game Business. In November 2019, Tech News World cut right to the chase with Early reviews suggest Google Stadia Needs More Time in the Oven. In early 2019, DFC was skeptical about Apple’s rumored game subscription service, but when the service launched at the end of the year we were impressed.

New video game hardware systems are the biggest news generator for the video game industry. DFC has a solid track record of assessing sales potential

The first console generation DFC forecasted in detail was for the 1995/1996 launch of the Sega Saturn, Sony PlayStation and Nintendo 64. Admittedly our forecasting was not as sophisticated. However, DFC was vocal about the long-term potential for dedicated console at a time when many analysts believed that personal computers would make consoles obsolete.

One of DFC’s first quotes was in Newsweek on the launch of the Nintendo 64. In describing the “incredible marketing” around Nintendo’s Hot Box we stated the core theme of the importance of marketing,

In 1999, the Los Angeles Times looked to DFC to analyze the market for new console systems. At the time the Sony PlayStation 2 and Sega Dreamcast were preparing for launch. The article was interesting because it quoted Kevin Bachus of Microsoft on why PCs were better than consoles. Bachus was a key pioneer behind the original Xbox which launched two years later.

Seduced by the Game Los Angeles Times May 1999

For the 2005/2006 launch of the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Wii, DFC Intelligence was more vocal in its opinion. Sony’s strategy was a mistake in DFC’s opinion and that was famously expressed in a piece entitled Could Sony go From First to Worst? Sony had a huge lead with the PS2, but DFC thought the company was opening the door for Nintendo and Microsoft. At the time this was a contrary opinion but it proved to be correct.

A month before the PS3 launch Business Week/Bloomberg asked DFC analyst David Cole to write an opinion piece entitled Console Wars Fought on Many Fronts. Gamasutra revisited the infamous 2006 DFC prediction in June 2007.

With the 2012/2013 launch of new systems, DFC’s analysis of the situation had flipped. This time it was Microsoft’s strategy that was questioned. DFC went on the record as saying that the PlayStation 4 would likely do very well with weaker offerings from both Microsoft and Nintendo. This proofed correct as the Wii U was one of Nintendo’s biggest failures and the PS4 outsold the Xbox One by about 2-to-1. While some observers claimed DFC was on Sony’s payroll the, at-the-time, pessimistic DFC forecasts for Microsoft and Nintendo were actually too high.

In Battle of the Boxes, the Economist talked to DFC about Microsoft’s strategy to try and conquer the living room.

In 2012, CNN quoted DFC in an article entitled Why Console Gaming is Dying? This was not our opinion but our analysis could definitely be used to make that argument.

The 2020 launch of the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S is a huge news story continuing into 2021. As details about the new systems were unveiled, DFC became increasingly vocal about its opinion. DFC now forecasts that the PlayStation 5 will significantly outsell the Xbox systems. However, this has become an increasingly complicated issue that is about more than just pure hardware sales. Increasingly consoles are becoming a platform to sell multiple services and the short-term versus long-term outlook is a complicated issue. To see some of DFC’s recent media insights. Check out some of these articles.

DFC Intelligence was fairly bullish about the Switch launch. For the first three years of the system Switch sales met our expectations. However, sales exploded with the COVID crisis of 2020. In 2021, a major focus will be on the sales potential for Nintendo products.

Analysis around Nintendo products has been a long-term topic for DFC Intelligence. Nintendo has proven how to capture revenue from rereleasing older video game products. This is a trend that many companies may look to capitalize on in coming years.

In late 2016 the New York Times asked DFC’s opinion on the NES Classic. A major theme of DFC analysis has been how video game companies can capture nostalgia and not necessarily focus on the bleeding edge.

A 2014 CNBC video piece interviewed DFC analyst David Cole on how Nintendo software did well despite poor hardware performance.

DFC Intelligence did detailed work on the 2007/2008 merger of Activision and Vivendi Universal to create Activision Blizzard. This included custom analysis for government regulators looking at anti-trust aspects. DFC data was used to show that the market for online games was much larger than the big open world MMO games that dominated the headlines at the time.

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A recent merger was the late 2020 acquisition of Zenimax Media/Bethesda Studios for $7.5 billion. DFC had done extensive work for investors over the years evaluating the value of Zenimax holdings.

USA Today

DFC Intelligence has been tracking mobile games for year and published early reports on the rise of the iPhone and gaming on smartphones and tablets.

In 2009, the Wall Street Journal talked to DFC about how the iPhone was driving growth in mobile games.

This was followed by an article on how Apple was becoming Nintendo’s leading rival.

Wall Street Journal

As the mobile game market has boomed, a major area of interest is in the ability of companies to launch high-end games and services for mobile devices.

In early 2019, Tech News World contacted DFC about Apple’s rumored new game subscription service. This eventually launched in launched in late 2019 as Apple Arcade.

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A major focus of DFC Intelligence is on changing ways companies are able to generate revenue from video game consumers.

This incudes areas like the emergence of games as a service and free-to-play games in first Asia and later on a global basis.

It also includes many diverse areas such as subscription models, advertising in video games, player to player wagering, building a metaverse and many more.

Variety looked to DFC to focus on advertising in video games.

The idea of wagering in video games has been around for years. In late 2020, Bloomberg came to DFC for an overview of this segment that DFC has helped investors cover for years.

DFC Intelligence frequently is asked to comment on sales potential for major upcoming product releases.

The specialty of DFC is sales and market potential for products or product categories. DFC regularly conducts private briefings on sales potential for companies and products.

Product and company analysis is made on a case-by-case basis.

See links for examples of past quotes.

In May 2020, Amazon launched its first major video game. DFC discussed with Reuters and CNN why Amazon’s game development strategy was flawed.

Bloomberg did a similar piece on the Amazon game release. Amazon game development. This was followed in January 2021 by a detailed analysis of struggles at Amazon Game Studios.

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Ouya was one of many startups looking to compete in the game console space. Reuters reported on this in 2013 using DFC numbers for context.

Reuters also contacted DFC to look at the category of online mystery games.

For many years, the annual E3 show in Los Angeles was a popular time for new product reveals. DFC always helped journalists looking to cover the hot news from the show.

USA Today