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Strategic Intelligence: Video Games

Publisher GlobalData
Published Mar 17, 2026
Length 77 Pages
SKU # GBDT21112461

Description

Strategic Intelligence: Video Games

Summary

The gaming software market was worth $254 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach $352 billion by 2030, according to GlobalData. Mobile gaming will account for more than half of industry revenues across this period.

Key Highlights
  • Platform operators like Apple, Alphabet, and Valve control the key distribution channels through which games reach consumers. They capture a significant share of industry revenue and set monetization, data access, and revenue-sharing rules for publishers. As a result, publishers without their own platforms rely on platform operators’ ecosystems. Their bargaining power is limited, and their profit margins are compressed.
  • Meanwhile, amid rising game production costs, publishers are focusing on remakes, remasters, and cross-platform strategies to reduce risk and secure predictable returns. Many are using artificial intelligence (AI) to accelerate game development and reduce costs.
Scope
  • This report provides an overview of the video games theme.
  • It includes global market forecasts for gaming software.
  • The detailed value chain consists of four layers: creation, monetization, distribution, and device.
Reasons to Buy
  • The global video games industry is at an inflection point. Following a decade of rapid expansion, fueled by pandemic-era demand, growth across mature markets is stabilizing.
  • The industry’s future will be determined less by sheer user growth and more by how it attracts and retains consumer attention, optimizes monetization models, and aligns with evolving technological, macroeconomic, and regulatory trends.
  • This report provides an invaluable guide to this disruptive theme. It includes comprehensive lists of the leading players across all aspects of the value chain, helping companies identify the right partners.

Table of Contents

77 Pages
Executive Summary
Thematic Overview
The attention economy is gaming’s next challenge to overcome
Pricing pressure and cost inflation are key publisher pain points
Control of distribution is the central axis of value capture in gaming
AI can support both creativity and cost-cutting
Remakes and remasters are gaming’s profitable nostalgia strategy
Regulations are a constant threat to all gaming companies
Cross-play is a way to expand reach, but erodes exclusivity
Esports is transitioning from hyper-growth to rationalization
Players
Technology Briefing
Console gaming
PC gaming
Mobile gaming
Cloud Gaming
Esports
Value Chain
Creation layer
Game developers and publishers
Game engines
Monetization layer
Ad networks
Payment platforms
Esports organizers
Brand sponsorship
Media rights
Distribution layer
Cloud services
Telecom networks
App stores and online platforms
Social media
Streaming services
Retailers
Device layer
Smartphones and tablets
Personal computers
Gaming consoles
Virtual reality headsets
Smart TVs (including media streaming devices)
Peripherals
Market Forecasts
Companies
Sector Scorecards
Gaming sector scorecard
Who’s who
Thematic screen
Valuation screen
Risk screen
Glossary
Further Reading
Our Thematic Research Methodology
Report Authors
About GlobalData
Contact Us
List of Tables
Table 1: Companies
Table 2: Glossary
Table 3: Further Reading
Table 4: Report Authors:
List of Figures
Figure 1: Video games compete for people’s attention with social media
Figure 2: Games are increasingly expensive, with $70 now standard for premium titles
Figure 3: Platform operators control game distribution and billing
Figure 4: There were over 35,000 layoffs in the video games industry between 2023 and 2025
Figure 5: Remakes and remasters are a cost-effective strategy to monetize old titles
Figure 6: Antitrust, data privacy, and time limits are key issues for gaming companies
Figure 7: Cross-play reduces barriers between gaming ecosystems and expands reach
Figure 8: Esports is shifting from rapid expansion to cost discipline
Figure 9: Co-streaming connects fans with creators and drives community growth
Figure 10: Select list of players in the video games theme, and where they sit in the value chain
Figure 11: There are two main types of gaming consoles
Figure 12: PC gaming is typically at-home entertainment
Figure 13: Two main types of devices are used in mobile gaming
Figure 14: There are two approaches to cloud gaming
Figure 15: Esports can be watched in a stadium or online
Figure 16: The video games value chain
Figure 17: The video games value chain - Creation layer: game developers and publishers
Figure 18: The video games value chain - Creation layer: game engines
Figure 19: The video games value chain - Monetization layer: ad networks
Figure 20: The video games value chain - Monetization layer: payment platforms
Figure 21: The video games value chain - Monetization layer: esports organizers
Figure 22: The video games value chain - Monetization layer: brand sponsorship
Figure 23: The video games value chain - Monetization layer: media rights
Figure 24: The video games value chain - Distribution layer: cloud services
Figure 25: The video games value chain - Distribution layer: telecom networks
Figure 26: The video games value chain - Distribution layer: app stores and online platforms
Figure 27: The video games value chain - Distribution layer: social media
Figure 28: The video games value chain - Distribution layer: streaming services
Figure 29: The video games value chain - Device layer: smartphones and tablets
Figure 30: The video games value chain - Device layer: personal computers
Figure 31: The video games value chain - Device layer: gaming consoles
Figure 32: The video games value chain - Device layer: VR headsets
Figure 33: The video games value chain - Device layer: smart TVs (including media streaming devices)
Figure 34: The video games value chain - Device layer: peripherals
Figure 35: The gaming software market will generate $352.0 billion in revenue by 2030
Figure 36: Mobile gaming accounts for the lion’s share of global gaming software revenue
Figure 37: Who does what in the gaming sector?
Figure 38: Thematic screen
Figure 39: Valuation screen
Figure 40: Risk screen
Figure 41: Our approach to identifying the companies most likely to succeed in a sector over the next five years

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