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 e 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 e 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.
Esperamos que outros jogos premium sejam convertidos em jogos gratuitos no próximo ano, o que, se for bem-sucedido, mais do que compensará as perdas nas vendas iniciais de unidades, dado o aumento da receita que os fabricantes de jogos estão obtendo com a venda de produtos no jogo, como itens cosméticos e passes de batalha.
While sales of premium video games dipped in 2019, a strong holiday season pushed perennial franchises like Call of Duty e 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 e 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 e 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 e 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 e Minecraft Earth.
