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Research firm says Dota 2 tops League of Legends [Updated]
Look out League of Legends: You've just been knocked down to second place. DFC Intelligence has determined that Valve's Dota 2 is now the most-played online game in the North America and Europe, with LoL in the number two spot and World of Warcraft in a distant third. DFC made this claim based on its PC Game Meter service, which draws data from multiple sources. The service does not include browser and casual games in its report. Update: Riot Games contacted us to say that DFC has retracted the report press release. GamesIndustry also posted the following update: "According to a Riot Games spokesperson, League of Legends sees 'over 500,000 peak concurrent players every day on just the EU West shard,' which doesn't even touch on players in the United States. This is contrasted with the 325,879 players that Valve's Steamgraph shows as the all-time high for Dota 2 beta."
Analyst: DS and PSP growth 'peaked,' iPhone to drum future growth
DFC Intelligence analyst David Cole thinks that Nintendo and Sony devices will still lead the handheld market by 2014, but that the iPhone/iPod Touch will drive growth, thanks to a little thing called the App Store. IndustryGamers took note of the new report, where the analyst believes that the worldwide mobile and portable games market will reach $11.7 billion by 2014, which includes the PSP and DS, with Apple's devices pushing 24 percent of software sales.The company found that of over 8,000 surveyed respondents, 54 and 69 percent of North Americans and Europeans, respectively, had played a game on their phone in the last year. The report found that the the most popular service for purchasing apps for their phone was Apple's App Store -- shocking, right?
Wii Warm Up: How do you define a gaming fad?
Despite the fact that it sells like gangbusters week after week, wherever it can be found (except New Zealand), some people still like to argue that the Wii is just a fad. Other people (like the analysts at DFC) believe that the Wii "has the chance to be one of the best selling systems of all-time."If you visit this site you most likely enjoy playing the Wii, but where do you weigh in on this fad business? Do you think that the Wii's sales will eventually plummet? Or do you believe that the Wii might even overtake the PS2 at some point? Maybe you fall somewhere in between?It's time to bring out your inner analyst and let us know where you stand on the issue.Note: Stop -- Hammer time.
DFC says Wii to be cause behind $57 billion gaming market in 2009
Hollywood, eat your heart out. It looks like gaming is lined up to be a big money enterprise come next year (as if it isn't already), according to analyst firm DFC Intelligence. David Cole, one of the firm's analysts, thinks that the driving force behind this sharp rise is none other than the Wii."The Wii does not appear to be a fad and it has the chance to be one of the best selling systems of all-time," said Cole. Another analyst, Jeremy Miller, is quick to point out that Nintendo is also a very successful publisher, stating "The Wii not only has unique features and a broad demographic appeal, but Nintendo is dominant as a software publisher." Despite Nintendo's winning formula that is the Wii, the firm sees the PS3 selling more than the Wii in 2012. We know of at least one entity that agrees.[Via Joystiq]
DFC predicts $57 billion gaming market in 2009, Wii to drive
The soothsayers at analyst group DFC Intelligence have revised their already rosy outlook for the game industry in 2009, predicting that the market, including consoles, PC and online games, could now reach a mind-blowing $57 billion by next year. DFC foresees that much of this growth will be driven by (surprise!) the Wii, a platform DFC's David Cole feels "has the chance to be one of the best selling systems of all-time." Looking further ahead, DFC backed off of its previous prediction that annual PS3 game sales would surpass those on the Wii by 2012, now stating that the pair will simply be equals. Still, with the lion's share of top selling titles for the Wii coming from Nintendo itself, fellow analyst Jeremy Miller adds that "for many third party publishers this means they will have much greater success on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, even if Wii sales continue to be strong." But what of the PC? Oh, there's love there as well, with gaming on the personal computer expected to reach an impressive $19 billion on its own by 2013, no doubt steered by online sales, which exceeded a staggering $7 billion in 2007. If DFC is on point with its prophecy, the future is so bright, we may just have to reach into the drawer for some shades.
DFC believes in 2nd place finish for PS3, due to non-FPS players
The analysts at DFC are once again predicting a strong finish for the currently-trailing PS3 system. Compared to the incredible success of the PS2, it appears that PS3 may not be doing as well. However, DFC believes that PS3 will come in a "close second" to Wii.One of the more interesting points discovered in their latest report comes from the Xbox 360, and how it has been impacting this generation so far. Although the 360 has a clear lead over the PS3, DFC believes that the year-long headstart that Microsoft attained hasn't proved as fruitful as it should. "The Xbox 360 was unable to take advantage of Sony's struggles to build the type of large lead needed to maintain a long-term advantage. The PS3 survived the onslaught of AAA Xbox 360 titles that hit the market from late 2006 through 2007. Halo 3 had great sales, but it did very little to enhance the Xbox 360's overall position in the marketplace."Great games, like Halo 3 and Gears of War, have defined the competing system, but it may have limited the Xbox's potential audience to strictly the hardcore. "The Xbox 360 is the system of choice for fans of high-action first-person shooter (FPS) games. However, for the 80 percent-plus of game consumers that DO NOT play FPS games, the Xbox 360 is not the system of choice." PS2's dominance came from having a variety of exclusive games that went beyond the hardcore shooting genre. Games like LittleBigPlanet and Final Fantasy XIII will certain extend the appeal of PS3 to an audience beyond the shooter crowd.
Analysts predict console war outcome, fanboys riot in streets
Over at GameDaily, analyst group DFC Intelligence has made a few observations regarding recent trends in the video game industry, and has a prediction for the result of the current-generation "console wars." According to DFC, the Nintendo Wii will ultimately secure its first place position, with the PS3 overtaking the Xbox 360 in 2009 for a strong second-place showing.In terms of longevity, DFC believes that by 2012 the Playstation 3 will surpass the Wii in terms of software sales (no doubt assuming a staying power similar to the console's little brother, the PS2). They also predict that the slowed economy in North America will actually benefit video game sales, as high gas prices encourage consumers to stay home and play games, rather than going out. Several other interesting tidbits and predictions can be found in their full report.
DFC predicts bright future for games, dim one for Xbox 360
Another day, another extremely long-range analysis of the video game market's future. This time the prediction comes from DFC Intelligence through a press release stating the total worldwide market for video games could grow to a staggering $47 billion by 2009 (from $33 billion in 2006). DFC foresees the strongest growth coming from the PC market (driven by online game revenue) and the portable market (driven by the Nintendo DS, which "could eventually become the best selling game system ever in five years" according to DFC's David Cole).That's nice about the industry growth and all, but the real red meat for the fanboys comes later in the release, when DFC reveals they've lowered their forecast for the performance of the Xbox 360. The currently-hot system "will need to build a strong base outside North America to avoid being in a fairly distant third," Cole said in a statement sure to rile up the Microsoft Defense Forces. As for the battle for first, Cole thinks the Wii will dominate through 2008 with the PS3 coming on strong in 2009, possibly leading to an odd long-term situation where Nintendo has sold more hardware but Sony generates more software revenue.We at Joystiq think this all this prognosticating is a bit shortsighted. After all, it doesn't take into account how the surging interest in the Dreamcast will lead to Sega's triumphant return to the hardware market and eventual domination of the same by 2023. Hey, if analysts can make wild, long-term predictions, then so can we!
Analyst: PSP and DS will outdo home consoles
Don't throw out your handhelds: there's a lot of life left in them. According to an analyst at DFC Intelligence, the ever-expanding market for both DS and PSP will help allow it to beat the current generation systems: "Under the right scenario, by 2011 the combined installed base of the DS and PSP could exceed that for the Nintendo Wii, Sony PlayStation 3 and Microsoft Xbox 360," noted David Cole.While Nintendo will be responsible for much of the growth of the handheld industry, Sony is certainly not out of the game--they will "establish a solid position in the marketplace" (if they haven't already). Cole reminds investors that "existing console game publishers have found it is possible to make over $100 million in revenue from a single PSP title based on the right franchise," a figure that's not to be scoffed at.Ultimately, PSP's success will be determined by a number of factors, with Sony's support for the platform being key. Sony said they're working on exciting new things for the platform at GDC--hopefully, it's true.[Via GameDaily BIZ]
DFC analysts say Sony's PS3 may "end up third"
DFC Intelligence -- a market-forecasting agency -- have recently released their likely scenarios regarding the upcoming war o' consoles. They have an interesting set of scenario guidelines/factors they used in setting up how Sony would turn out. How'd they turn out? They say last third place. But keep in mind, they said, "When we say the PlayStation 3 could end up in third place that is a worst case scenario for Sony."If we look at the bulleted list on the site, the first three, summarized as: Current market position Current software library Other consoles' current software libraries There is no question Sony rocks the socks off of analysts for the first three points. The rest of the list? A little harder to discern a clear victor. These points consider: Expecting upcoming software for the PS3 (debatably good or bad) Upcoming software for competitors (debatably good or bad also) Price of PS3 measured against rivals Chance/amount of price drop Hardware/WOW! (NOT World of Warcraft...) factor A lot of debate had been risen from the fact GTA4 won't be exclusive to the PS3, however, according to DFC Intelligence, less than 20% of PS2 owners bought any of the titles. In fact, " Without GTA buyers, the PS2 would still have outsold the competition by more than 3 to 1." Nice. That's good news, even if speculation. So, will PS3 fall prey to the worst case scenario, or manage to stay on top (or even second) by the skin of its beautiful, beautiful teeth? Again, the Tokyo Game Show will hopefully give PS3 more positive press.[Edit: changed GTA4 won't be coming ... to GTA4 won't be exclusive to. Thanks, J. Dock]
Online gaming to decide next console war?
In their just-published April report, market research and consulting firm DFC Intelligence asks whether the online services associated with the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution will be a major factor in the console war between Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.DFC's take is refreshingly contrarian. Rather than endorse the view that Sony's PlayStation 3 console is gearing up to compete feature-for-feature with the Xbox 360's Live service, DFC writes that the PS3's online service "looks a lot like the PlayStation 2 with an online store and some inexpensive community features added on." If DFC is right, and if Sony's PS3 service does mimic the PS2's service, then the Sony publicity machine may have already oversold the PS3's online capabilities, because PlayStation partisans on Joystiq have been quick to cite Sony's early announcements as proof that Sony is going to dominate in the online space.(UPDATE: Image link has been corrected.)
