Sega: Big Money in PC Gaming
Sega is enjoying the benefits of digital downloads.
Despite Sega's roots, the former console maker is currently defending PC gaming, claiming that there's big money to be made in that particular arena.
Although the physical retail sales of PC games continue to slide in 2010, Sega’s UK MD John Clark told MCVUK that those particular sales numbers aren't indicative of the actual PC gaming market. Indeed, the company is enjoying its fair share of revenue on the digital front.
"The PC market is third in terms of its year-on-year performance with a decline of 26 per cent, but this doesn’t really reflect the full picture," Clark said in an interview. "The PC digital download business is now a viable sector but somewhat invisible as it’s not yet covered by (UK's) Chart-Track. The PC market overall is actually performing much better than is currently reported, and remains a vital and strong sector to be involved in."
Surprisingly, Sega is becoming a dominant factor in the PC gaming market, taking its 12.8-percent share in corporate 2009 thanks to the three-pronged attack of Aliens vs. Predator, Napoleon: Total War, and the continued sales of Football Manager 2010. As Clark pointed out, all three games have different styles of gameplay yanked from three different genres: FPS, strategy, and sim.
"They can all drive a strong, community fan base with the ability to consistently deliver endless hours of gameplay," he said. "For 2009, Sega was ranked the second biggest PC publisher in the market. In 2010 year-to-date, we are once again ranked second. Long may it continue."
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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.
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speedemon Sega defends PC... Awesome.. and once(if) the digital sales figures from direct2drive and Steam get released im pretty sure it will shock many. I purchase allot from both Steam and Direct2drive, and haven't been to gamestop or bestbuy in a very long time.Reply
What i really want to know is how Badcompany 2 PC version did vs consoles -
eklipz330 well sega has opened their eyes, keep the intrusive DRM in check, and make a good game, and i'll give you my moneyReply -
-Fran- All Sega games are sold through Steam and have DLCs also. Thumbs up for them.Reply
Unless Consoles get large HDDs, there won't be enough DLC for *all* the games one could have and thanks to propietary hardware (x-box 360) the price won't make it worthy/attractive on the long run.
Cheers! -
aznguy0028 speedemonWhat i really want to know is how Badcompany 2 PC version did vs consolesWhile not indicative of the actual conclusive stats, here's a pretty good picture of PC vs the consoles.Reply
http://bfbcs.com/pc
The left hand side shows the stats of all 3 platforms and how many players/servers/and players online atm for the game. Nearly a million players on PC, while only 365k for ps3, and 280k for x360. -
bogcotton aznguy0028While not indicative of the actual conclusive stats, here's a pretty good picture of PC vs the consoles.http://bfbcs.com/pcThe left hand side shows the stats of all 3 platforms and how many players/servers/and players online atm for the game. Nearly a million players on PC, while only 365k for ps3, and 280k for x360.Reply
Wow!
Someone on that leaderboard has clocked over 363 hours!
Thats a minimum average of 11.3 hours per day since the release date! -
Wolygon Where are the annoying comments which go something like "Piracy is killing PC gaming"?Reply -
If sega can take a 12.8% share of the market with the three mentioned games I would rate that as a sign of how weak the market really is. A good sign for Sega, maybe, but not a good sign for the market.Reply
That said I hate how certain companies claim that the pc market is healthy but _never_ have any actual numbers to back it up with. I know FM2010 has sold relatively well, but how about AvP? More than 300k (on pc)? I doubt it even though I bought it on getgamesgo.com.