1. 2016 Gaming Report
ADOBE DIGITAL INSIGHTS

2. Where our data comes from
• Comprised of 2.5B visits to retail gaming and gaming-related websites between January
2015 and March 2016 (all aggregated and anonymous)
• Specific to computers: based on transactions for about 80,000 products
• Specific to consoles: based on transactions for about 4,000 products
• Social data based on 20+ million social engagements from June 2015 and July 2016 from
variety of sources including Facebook, Reddit, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube
2

3. 3
Gaming sales on the rise
$25.3B U.S. gaming sales overall projected to reach $25.3B in 2016, up from $23.5B in 2015
Millennials and Gen Xers spent more time engaging in financial services than older generations (Boomers and 70+)
42% online revenue growth YoY between Q1 2015 and Q1 2016
$11.1B U.S. online gaming and sales will account for $11.1B in 2016, 44% of total sales
32% heavily seasonal; 32% average revenue increase between September and December
(2015 Q4 revenue accounts for 35% of sales)

4. 4
Prices for consoles see deflation
10.13% 5%
While high-end computers show little
deflation (2.68%), consoles show 10.13%
decrease YoY
The best time to buy a console is in
November, with average month-over-month
price reduction of 5%

5. 5
Open betas help sales
1.7x
4.2x
Games that featured open betas sold:
More than non-open beta games one day prior to
game release
More than non-open beta games 60 days before
game release

6. 6
Virtual reality (VR) gaining steam
Social mentions for biggest VR players (Hololens, HTC
Vive, Playstation VR, Oculus) increased 14% QoQ (Q2
2016)

7. 7
HTC Vive rising above competition
HTC Vive increase in QoQ mentions (QoQ (Q2 2016)115%
-3%
Hololens decrease in QoQ mentions
-20%
Oculus decrease in QoQ mentions
-63% Playstation VR decrease in QoQ mentions

8. 8
eSports continues strong momentum
eSports has a larger social following than the
NFL, NHL and MLB
40% increase in NA mentions YoY; Europe
sees most growth
Counter Strike Global Offensive leads
eSports communities; DOTA 2 comes in 2nd

9. 9

10. 10
Glossary
• Open Beta – Game testing that is open to any user for set amount of time, prior to it’s
release
• E3 – Electronic Entertainment Expo in June
• Gamescom – Game expo hosted in Cologne Germany
• VR/AR – Virtual Reality/ Augmented Reality
• Social Sentiment – Emotional tone behind a series of words, used to gain an
understanding of the attitudes, opinions and emotions expressed within an online
mention
• eSports – Competitive tournaments/ leagues comprised from video games

11. 11
E3 losing relevancy
While Gamescom doesn’t have any major
publishers skipping event, Sony and
Microsoft are not doing press briefings
(which drives social mentions)
E3 social mentions down 35% YoY as many
large names were absent (Activision, Disney
Interaction, EA all skipped booths in 2016)

12. 12
VR maintains excitement, games see drop off
AR and VR net more total mentions and see
less decline: -19% in July compared to May
Video games drop off in terms of
conversation: -49% in July compared to May

13. 13
Vive vs. Oculus
VIVE:
Released April 2016
Multiple sensors for room scale VR
Launched with VR controllers
50 games at launch
Price point: $799
Partnered with Steam
Oculus:
Released March 2016
Single senor for room scale VR (Q4 update
to 4 sensors)
Launched with Xbox Gamepad
30 games at launch
Price point: $599
Purchased by Facebook