It’s easy to overlook the myriad ways in which that connectivity has transformed our daily lives over the past few years. In the video game industry, connectivity and access to media have fueled an immense surge in free-to-play games. That surge has helped propel topline revenue and audience growth—both of which will continue in the years to come, largely because of massive hits like Fortnite dan Pokémon GO, which remained immensely popular among U.S. gamers in 2019.
The free-to-play groundswell has been so impactful that several multiplayer games that once commanded premium price tags have moved to free-to-play business models in the past 12 months. Destiny 2 dan Counter-Strike: Global Offensive have both taken advantage of this strategy, which helped both games attract a healthy influx of new players, pushing them to the top of the charts in 2019.
Kami berharap ada tambahan game premium lainnya yang akan dikonversi menjadi free-to-play di tahun depan, yang, jika berhasil, akan lebih dari sekadar menutupi kerugian dalam penjualan unit di muka, mengingat peningkatan pendapatan yang dialami para pembuat game dari penjualan item dalam game seperti item kosmetik dan battle pass.
While sales of premium video games dipped in 2019, a strong holiday season pushed perennial franchises like Call of Duty dan NBA 2K into the top 10. There were fewer blockbuster titles this year compared to 2018, which saw multiple big releases like Red Dead Redemption 2, Spider-Man dan God of War. Even so, we expect premium games to have a record year in 2020, given the release of several highly anticipated titles like Cyberpunk 2077, Dying Light 2 dan Halo Infinite set to come out.
Not surprisingly, mobile games remain the most popular and profitable part of the video game business. In the U.S., six of the best-performing games in 2018 made their way back to the top 10 titles for 2019, including fan favorites like Clash of Clans, Candy Crush Saga dan Slotomania. We expect these titles to remain popular in 2020, but they may soon face competition from franchise crossover games like Call of Duty Mobile, Mario Kart Tour dan Minecraft Earth.
