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See also: PC sales figures

The personal computer (PC) gaming industry dates back to the late 1970s. After video games helped popularize home computers in the 1980s,[1] the PC game industry boomed in the 1990s. In 2005, consumers spent $1.4 billion on video games for PCs in 2005, according to research released by analysts NPD Group. Of that, $344 million came from subscriptions to online games and gaming Web sites, according to NPD's estimate.[1] This number has since increased along with the generally growing video game market and with the release of popular PC games such as World of Warcraft and The Sims. The worldwide PC-based game market is worth as much as $10.7 billion as of 2008. This number includes retail sales, online revenue, digital distribution and relevant ad sales.[2]

According to Forbes [3], A many years the PC has become the most lucrative market in the industry, thanks to its unique hardware performance and characteristics. In consequence of this, the PC receives a average 300 new monthly releases, 90% of them is Exclusive titles, while other platforms receive 10-30 Title month to month and Exclusive titles just represent 10% on these platform.

In 2017, the worldwide PC game industry generated a global revenue of $33 billion.[2]

Largest PC gaming markets[]

See also: Video game industry

The largest PC gaming markets:

  1. China China – $13.1 billion (2016)[3]
  2. United States United States – $5.3 billion (2017)[4]
  3. South Korea South Korea – $2.34 billion (2016)[5]
  4. Japan Japan – $1.8 billion (2015)[6]
  5. Germany Germany – $1.4 billion (2015)[6]
  6. United Kingdom United Kingdom – $800 million (2016)[7]
  7. Russia Russia – $600 million (2016)[8]

PC game industry in the United States[]

See also: NPD sales figures

It's important to keep in mind, however, that this NPD data concerns retail data only and does not include sales of digitally downloaded games, micro-transactions, online subscriptions (e.g. World of Warcraft), etc. The NPD Group recently started paying more attention to online revenue, but this data does not include that.

Year Game industry
2008 $701 million
2007 $911 million
2006 $970 million
2005 $953 million
2004 $1.1 billion
2003 $1.2 billion
2002 $1.4 billion
2001 $1.6 billion

Sales milestones[]

See also: Steam and PC sales figures
Year Title Platform(s) Sales milestone Market Ref
1977 Microchess KIM-1 1,000 USA [9]
1978 Computers 40,000 Worldwide [10]
1980 Computers 50,000 Worldwide [11]
1983 Suspended Computers 53,654 Worldwide [12]
Starcross Computers 55,547
Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken Computers 60,000 Japan [13]
Choplifter Computers 60,000 Worldwide [14]
Deadline Computers 85,000 Worldwide [12]
Zork Computers 144,070
Door Door Computers 200,000 Japan [15]
Sokoban Computers 400,000 Japan [16]
Pac-Man Computers 1,000,000 USA [17]
1987 Kung-Fu Master Computers 1,000,000 Worldwide [18]
Ghostbusters Computers 1,000,000 Worldwide [19]
1989 Hydlide Computers 1,000,000 Japan [20][21]
Thexder Computers 1,000,000 Worldwide [22]
RoboCop Computers 1,000,000 Worldwide [23]
International Karate Computers 1,500,000 Worldwide [24]
Pac-Man Computers 2,000,000 USA [25]
Kung-Fu Master Computers 2,000,000 Worldwide [26]
Ghostbusters Computers 2,000,000 Worldwide [19]
1991 Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? Computers 2,000,000 Worldwide [27]
The Last Ninja Commodore 64 2,000,000 Worldwide [28]
1995 Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? Computers 4,000,000 Worldwide [29]
The Last Ninja Computers 4,000,000 Worldwide [30]
1997 Myst Computers 4,000,000 Worldwide [31]
Last Ninja 2 Computers 5,500,000 Worldwide [30]
1999 Myst Computers 5,500,000 Worldwide [32]
2000 6,300,000 [33]
2002 The Sims PC 6,300,000 Worldwide [34]
2007 World of Warcraft Computers 9,000,000 Worldwide [35]
The Sims PC 11,240,000 Worldwide [36]
Lineage II Computers 14,000,000 Worldwide [37]
2013 Diablo III Computers 14,500,000 Worldwide [38]
2014 20,000,000 [39]
2017 PUBG PC 30,000,000 Worldwide [40]
2018 50,000,000 [41]

See also[]

References[]

  1. High-tech Society: The Story of the Information Technology Revolution. 1987. p. 155. https://books.google.com/books?id=Gqgb946KPfQC&pg=PA155.
  2. http://strivesponsorship.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/SuperData-2017-year-in-review-digital-games-and-interactive-media.pdf
  3. https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2017-07-05-chinese-games-market-is-the-worlds-biggest-at-USD25-6bn
  4. https://newzoo.com/insights/articles/xbox-one-x-microsoft-fights-back-booming-console-market/
  5. https://technology.ihs.com/592232/games-market-monitor-korea-pc-online-games-market-2016
  6. 6.0 6.1 http://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2016-08-02-pc-games-revenue-to-hit-usd42-billion-in-2020-dfc
  7. https://newzoo.com/insights/infographics/the-uk-games-market-2016/
  8. https://newzoo.com/insights/infographics/russian-games-market-2016/
  9. Oral History of Peter Jennings. Computer History Museum (February 1, 2005).
  10. 1978
  11. "Personal Software Introduces Backgammon & Checkers Programs". Intelligent Machines Journal: pp. 10. January 21, 1980. https://books.google.com/books?id=Lz4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA10. Retrieved January 22, 2015.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Great Scott: Infocom's All-Time Sales Numbers Revealed. GameSetWatch. Think Services (September 20, 2008). Archived from the original on September 24, 2008. Retrieved on September 23, 2008.
  13. "潮 [Tide]" (in ja). (372-374): 361. 1990. https://books.google.com/books?id=DHI3AAAAIAAJ. "このゲームは当時、六万本の売り上げを記録し、アドベンチャーゲームのなかでも突出した人気を誇っていた。"
  14. "Games". InfoWorld 5 (14): 4. April 4, 1983. https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA4. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  15. Fujii, Daiji (2003). Entrepreneurial Choices of Strategic Options in Japan's RPG Development (PDF). Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved on August 12, 2006.
  16. Green, W., ed. (1988). "Made in Japan". InCider 6: 158. https://books.google.com/books?id=M2NRAAAAYAAJ. Retrieved January 27, 2012.
  17. McGuire, Christine H. (1983). Handbook of Health Professions Education. Jossey-Bass. https://books.google.com/books?id=y_RpAAAAMAAJ&q=pac-man+million+copies+pc. "It is estimated that 30,000 Pac Man disks have been sold for home computers at $30 each and that there are a million copies in existence."
  18. https://archive.org/details/Computer_Gamer_Issue_25_1987-04_Argus_Press_GB/page/n15
  19. 19.0 19.1 Advokat, Stephen (August 31, 1989). Movies hit a smaller screen. Retrieved on October 25, 2022.
  20. Szczepaniak, John (2016). The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers. 2. United States. pp. 38-49 (30). ISBN 9781518655319. OCLC 890601504.
  21. John Szczepaniak, History of Japanese Video Games, Kinephanos, ISSN 1916-985X
  22. "Back Cover", Fire Hawk: Thexder The Second Contact (Game Arts & Sierra On-Line), 1990, https://www.mobygames.com/game/64/fire-hawk-thexder-the-second-contact/cover/group-1984/cover-81/, retrieved February 10, 2012
  23. Mellor, Robert (January 2008). "The Making Of: RoboCop". Retro Gamer (Future Publishing) (46): 62–65. http://www.retrogamer.net/retro_games80/the-making-of-robocop/.
  24. Fox, Matt (3 January 2013). The Video Games Guide: 1,000+ Arcade, Console and Computer Games, 1962-2012, 2d ed.. McFarland & Company. p. 150. ISBN 978-0-7864-7257-4. https://books.google.com/books?id=xzMYYrsDaAEC&pg=PA150.
  25. Pac-Man
  26. Kung-Fu Master
  27. Rabinovitz, Jonathan (October 6, 1991). "TELEVISION; The Case of the Game-Show Ploy" (in en-US). The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. https://www.nytimes.com/1991/10/06/arts/television-the-case-of-the-game-show-ploy.html.
  28. Rosenberg, Adam (June 4, 2008). Ninjas in Games. UGO Networks. Archived from the original on June 15, 2011. Retrieved on December 25, 2011.
  29. "That's Edutainment". Billboard (Nielsen Business Media) 107 (19): 91. May 1, 1995. ISSN 0006-2510. https://books.google.com/books?id=vAsEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA91.
  30. 30.0 30.1 "Mark Cale interrogation". Retro Gamer (18): 56–57 (57). October 2005.
  31. https://books.google.com/books?id=2VORKwuPT6kC&pg=PA325
  32. https://books.google.com/books?id=i5SuCsRrb4sC&pg=PA131
  33. GameSpot Staff (November 7, 2000). The 15 Most Influential Games of All Time; Myst. GameSpot. Archived from the original on May 25, 2005.
  34. Walker, Trey (March 22, 2002). The Sims overtakes Myst. GameSpot. CNET Networks.
  35. https://www.gamedeveloper.com/business/seven-years-of-i-world-of-warcraft-i-
  36. Guinness World Records 2016 Gamer's Edition. Macmillan. 2015. p. 145. ISBN 978-1-910561-13-3.
  37. Jin, Dal Yong (October 2010). Korea's Online Gaming Empire. MIT Press. p. 128. ISBN 0262288966. https://books.google.com/books?id=H21v3d-ErXMC&pg=PA128.
  38. Diablo III's One-Year Anniversary Infographic. Blizzard Entertainment (May 20, 2013).
  39. Diablo 3 tops PC charts with 20 million copies sold. Activision Blizzard (August 5, 2014).
  40. Makuch, Eddie (January 2, 2018). "PUBG Passes 3 Million Concurrent Users On PC". GameSpot. https://www.gamespot.com/articles/pubg-passes-3-million-concurrent-users-on-pc/1100-6455835/.
  41. https://web.archive.org/web/20181230154714/steamspy.com/app/578080

External links[]

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