Market Trends of Online Action Games Industry
This section covers the major market trends shaping the Online Action Games Market according to our research experts:
Surge in the usage of MMORPG Games
With the use of highly enriched gaming technology, game manufacturers can successfully maintain gamers' interest in role-playing games and persuade them to stake more real money to get advantages or "boosters" in their games. This tactic helped MMORPG game publishers and developers increase sales by keeping existing players and luring new ones. According to the Enterprise Software Association, nearly 50% of gamers engage in microtransactions.
The overall demand for MMORPG games increased due to the rising of millennials' online gaming addictions and the rise in per capita income, especially in developing economies. According to mmobyte, Lost Ark is the most played MMORPG, as of February and March 2022.
The demand for mobile MMORPG gaming is greatly fueled by the increase in internet usage worldwide. In recent years, both emerging and established economies, including those in the Asia-Pacific region, saw a sharp increase in the number of mobile users with internet access. This is mainly because Chinese consumer electronics companies are expanding internationally and providing cost-effective smartphones, tablets, and gaming consoles. According to data provided by GlobalWebIndex, there are already more than 1 billion people very interested in streaming games on a monthly basis.
According to NewZoo, PC continues to be the most widely used platform for game developers. Sony continues to outperform Microsoft in being the chosen platform by game developers, with 25% choosing the PS4 over 23% choosing the Xbox One. Mobile gaming is also a popular platform for users, with 48% of gamers continuously using their smartphones to play games.
Rising Market Share of Asia-Pacific
In the gaming sector, Asia-Pacific is predicted to hold the most significant market share, with China, Japan, and South Korea possessing significant growth potential. One of Asia's most significant economies, China, uses technology significantly. Rising exports and continued innovations in new games and gaming systems are the key drivers of the Asia-Pacific market.
Asia plays a significant role in the volume of gamers. An August 2021 survey by DFC Intelligence discovered that of the 3.2 billion gamers worldwide, 1.48 billion were in Asia, representing around 45% of gamers, and around 22% (or 715 million) of players were in Europe.
The surge in the number of online gamers and the popularity of online gaming tournaments are the key market trends in the Asia-Pacific region. Moreover, market participants in the Asia-Pacific region are launching a wide range of platforms that enable gamers to access AAA games. For instance, Tencent Holdings Limited and NVIDIA Corporation launched START, a new cloud gaming service, in December 2021 to enable gamers to access AAA games on low-end devices.
China's rise as a significant gaming hub led the Asia-Pacific market to position itself to dominate the global online action games market. The growth and advancement of the regional market are primarily driven by China's unrelenting rise in smartphone adoption. With aggressive inorganic development tactics like the acquisition of Riot Games and Supercell Oy, Tencent Holdings, which was limited to China, became a leading participant in the global video game business. Additionally, South Korea is anticipated to make a substantial contribution to the regional market expansion due to the growing popularity of e-sports and massively multiplayer online games.
