14 DAY TRIAL // The NPD, already well known for the sales charts that it puts out every month regarding the console market and the games market, is creating a new report that deals with the online subscription market. The results of the first study of this kind are now out and they paint a very interesting picture of the state of the MMO market and of the casual games one.
The report has gathered data from October of 2007 to March 2008, with the NPD Group saying that more than 1 billion dollars are attracted by the MMO industry each and every year. Because no study has had a one-year tracking period yet, the estimate of 1 billion dollars is based on an extension of the data gathered in the above stated period.
Anita Frazier, a NPD spokeswoman, stated: "Now that NPD can estimate the value of the subscription market, it's clear that there is a sizable chunk of revenue being generated by PC gaming beyond what is reflected in retail sales".
The study also reveals that at least 11 million North American players have subscriptions to one or another online game. As the study progressed, a trend of increasing revenue in the industry was clearly seen, with revenues increasing to the tune of around 9% a month.
Frazier added: "By contrasting the demographics of MMO players against those of gaming website players, the broad appeal of PC gaming is clearly evident. While the majority of gaming website players are females over the age of 35, MMOG players are largely males under the age of 35. The variety of content available to play games on the PC clearly can draw a diverse audience".
The NPD has also estimated numbers regarding the top 5 MMOs and the top 5 gaming subscription websites, which offer casual games, for the study period of October 2007 to March 2008.
World of Warcraft is, of course, on top of the ranking, with Runescape taking the second spot and Lord of the Rings Online coming in third. The rankings are complemented by the Final Fantasy XI and City of Heroes.
As far as casual gaming sites are concerned, the order is: Pogo.com, Realarcade.com, Bigfishgames.com, Gametap.com and Disney.com.