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UK players of massively multiplayer online games spent 195m on them last year, a report has found.
The Today’s Gamers MMO Focus Report also revealed that there are over four million MMO players in Britain, and that UK gamers spent more than any other European country on the genre last year – despite the fact that Germany has almost six million MMO gamers.
World of Warcraft and RuneScape were found to be the most popular online MMO games in the UK, with three quarters of a million players between them.
Head of communications for Jagex, Adam Tuckwell told MCV: The MMO market is becoming increasingly popular and we feel confident it will continue to grow both in the UK and globally.
RuneScape is popular in the UK for the same reasons it is popular elsewhere. The game is free-to-play, instantly accessible on low-spec PCs and most importantly has thousands of hours of compelling gameplay.”
The report also revealed Brits spent an average 10.60 per month on MMOs. More than 90 per cent of this budget is spent directly online.
Despite these vast sums, only 38 per cent of UK gamers pay to play, with the majority opting for free online games. Of the total 195m, 95m was spent on monthly or annual subscriptions, 75m on virtual items, currency or other micro-transactions and the remaining 25m on boxed products and online downloads.
Total spending figures for Germany and France followed close behind the UK with 165m and 145m respectively. However America led with a whopping 2.55bn from 46m gamers, bringing the total worldwide MMO consumer spending to 3bn.
