The Transition of the Video Game Industry

I don’t know how much attention you paid to the recent E3 show earlier this month, but the general consensus was that while it was a good show, people want more.

Industry enthusiasts, fans and followers had already gone into the show not expecting to hear about any new console development, but the faithful had hope. After all, it’s been awhile since the E3 show had any real surprises such as new consoles, exclusive titles or other celebrity endorsements. Sure, it was nice to see Joe Montana take the stage for Madden NFL 13, but on the flip side, others felt Usher’s performance for Dance Central 3 was a good time to check e-mail or hit the loo which emphasized what you could feel as a communal yawn as representatives went into painstaking detail about the newest title that was going to be “blockbuster” and “revolutionize” gaming.

I will say this, however, I give major props to Ubisoft for having their conference hosted by Aisha Tyler who brought a breath of fresh air to the press conferences.

So all that said I found this handy-dandy infographic that talks a bit about the transition of the gaming industry over the last few years. I’ve been blessed to work in the industry through a few more cycles than I would like to admit and I found this really interesting to see where the industry was, is and is going.

Here are a couple quick hits before diving in:

• Console gaming is still the most popular platform
• BUT smartphones are on the rise
• Smartphone games (like Angry Birds or Words with Friends) are extremely popular, but still pale in comparison to traditional games. (i.e. Call of Duty)

Video gaming isn’t going to go away anytime soon. It surpassed film as a key revenue generator for the entertainment industry.  As companies move to adopt a digital distribution model, it does open the gates to new audiences that can help put the industry back to its glory days.