E3 2021 Highlights Shift in Industry Strategy

E3 2021 Highlights Shift in Industry Strategy

Virtual E3 came and went without any major announcements.  However, the lack of news was itself newsworthy.  The E3 show highlighted how the console manufacturers have vastly different strategies going forward. The E3 show has always been primarily about the major console systems from Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo.  In recent years, Sony has dropped out of E3 while Nintendo focuses primarily on its Nintendo Direct event.  So the real hope was that E3 week would spur.....
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 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.....
Can Nintendo Switch Pass the 100 Million Unit Mark?

Can Nintendo Switch Pass the 100 Million Unit Mark?

The Nintendo Switch has been a strong success story in 2019.  The September launch of the Nintendo Switch Lite doubles down on the portable element of the system. There is now a serious question about whether the Switch will eventually join the elite group of video game systems that have passed 100 million units in hardware sales. DFC Intelligence has been cautious about forecasting Nintendo sales because every year since 2008, sales have fallen short of estimates.  In 2018, the Nint.....
DFC Intelligence Forecasts Global Video Game Market Spending to Reach $250 Billion in 2023

DFC Intelligence Forecasts Global Video Game Market Spending to Reach $250 Billion in 2023

SAN DIEGO, CALIF. – Video Game Industry analyst firm DFC Intelligence has issued its latest forecast for the global video game market that increases its overall outlook for the market.  This increase is driven by new console systems and a growing mobile game market. DFC Intelligence estimates that the video game software market is expected to grow from $118 billion in 2018 to about $164 billion in 20.....
Online Console Video Game Sales Expected to Pass Packaged Sales in 2019

Online Console Video Game Sales Expected to Pass Packaged Sales in 2019

DFC Intelligence just released its latest global video game console market forecast.  This included initial estimates for console systems expected to launch in 2020 and beyond.  Of course, one of the biggest issues is the growing digital delivery of software on console systems.  DFC Intelligence forecasts that revenue from digital delivery of console software will pass sales of packaged software in 2019......