| | DECEMBER 20208CIOReviewIN MY OPINIONI've worked in the video game industry my entire career and continue to be amazed at how it constantly grows and evolves. Game revenues have grown significantly over the past decade and show no sign of slowing down. A combination of factors impacting leisure time, a constant flow of new technologies, and the convergence of multiple trends continue to fuel this growth. Industry research giant NewZoo forecasts that 2020's global games market will generate revenues of $159.3 billion, a solid year-over-year growth of +9.3%.To properly frame the video game industry and understand its global appeal, it's important to recognize that it's not just a technology sector; but rather a robust entertainment sector spanning many different technologies across three major platforms - Mobile, Console, and PC. Mobile gaming continues to experience the most rapid growth, as it has the lowest barrier to entry and is relatively easy to develop for. With 2.6 billion mobile gamers in 2020, this segment is expected to generate $77.2 billion in 2020, a year over year increase of +13.3%. Console gaming is expected to reach $45.2 billion in 2020 revenue, growing +6.8% year over year and seeing over 729 million players. We're expecting to see the next generation of Sony Playstation and Microsoft Xbox consoles released this year, although recent global concerns have put into question the timing and impact these releases will have on the near termnear-term console business. PC gaming, my personal favorite, has 1.3 billion players worldwide and should achieve $36.9 billion in 2020, a +4.8% year over year increase.By Chris Hewish, President, Xsolla VIDEO GAMES ARE LEVELING UP; SOCIAL MEDIA SHOULD BE AFRAID
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