“PC gamers can also thank our cousins in the console world for bringing more people to gaming overall. We actually think the launch of the new console systems will help lift the PC game business because there is large overlap between console and PC gamers and it becomes another platform for developers," analyst Jeremy Miller told GamesIndustry International. The more people who play video games, the more people decide they’d like to check out PC games.
Another surprising thing to note is the surge in free-to-play games, the growth of which has been almost perfectly mirrored by the decline of traditional MMOs. As PC gaming expands, it is becoming more friendly toward smaller, free-to-play games.
DFC has raised its forecasted global market numbers for 2014 to $25 billion, up from $22 billion. The high volume of cash and PC gamers is great news for indie developers: there are an estimated 285 million people playing games on high-end PCs, which can add up to a lot of attention for Kickstarters, Greenlight campaigns and free-to-play games looking for eyeballs and receptive audiences. Though recent data with crowd sourcing and full game development is risky with small percentages of these funded games actually making release. Simply put, individuals who are not part of studios or well established gaming companies with experienced people are finding that making AAA games, and releasing them on their time tables, is very difficult.
