Video gaming continues to adapt over the years, but it also continues to surprise people around the globe. Just recently, the marketing researching firm NPD provided a brief of what their analysts are currently talking about. The analysts at NPD touched on current trends in the video gaming industry, as well as revealing some very intriguing statistics.
In the snapshot that NPD unveiled on their official web page, they mention the “Games as a Service” model that several companies have implemented into their sales strategy. For anyone unaware or unclear on what this model entails, it is when a game is released with some sort of digital add-ons. This could include virtual currencies, downloadable content, season passes, cosmetic items, or micro-transactions (among others). NPD revealed that amongst the 10 best-selling video games of 2016, nine of them incorporated this model. Not only that, but over one-quarter of the total sales of those nine games were attributed to premium versions of the game.
Past this, NPD also is constantly looking at the current trend of mobile gaming. However, they expect that as the industry matures, the growth will decline. Backing up this notion, they mention how tablet gaming declined by 11 percent from 2015 to 2016 (70 per cent to 59 per cent). For curiosity purposes, they also released a poll trying to discover the motivation behind mobile gaming.
Over 80 per cent of people stated that they play them because they are an easy way to pass the time; while 65 percent say, their motivation is due to it being an inexpensive, and free way of entertainment. In another realm of gaming, the NPD also confirmed that in 2016 the toy industry grew five percent with the 51st week being the biggest catalyst. During that week, 10 percent of the cumulative total of sales for 2016 were garnered.
