PC games make more money than console games, analyst says

PC games now make more money than console games, according to industry research company DFC Intelligence.

In an interview with UK PC and tech website PCR, DFC Intelligence owner David Cole said that the big difference now is that consoles are a luxury item, while PCs, which can also play games, are a necessity. “Just a few years ago the reverse was true,” he said. “This means PCs have the broader audience."

According to DFC’s recently published quarterly report on PC gaming revenues and usage, MOBA is the most popular genre on the platform. "The MOBA games League of Legends and Dota 2 dominate everything else by an order of magnitude in terms of more usage than other products," Cole said. "In the first part of 2014 we saw some signs that may change with the introduction of new titles and some increased play of games outside the MOBA category.”

Cole added that the popularity of free-to-play PC games in Europe helped drive this recent growth, and that we’re more likely to see paid, AAA games for both console and PC come from the US.

Despite this recent change, Cole believes that the new consoles from Sony and Microsoft should increase revenue for console games in the future.

Does this mean free-to-play is going to take over consoles and PC? GameSpot’s editors tackle the question in a recent feature.

Emanuel Maiberg is a freelance writer. You can follow him on Twitter @emanuelmaiberg and Google+.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email [email protected]