MCV/DEVELOP News, events, research and jobs from the games industry
A wide range of PC accessories and goodies hit the shelves every week. MCV checks out what has been trending lately.
In the UK, the digital PC software market was worth 741m in 2014, according to SuperData. It represented a nine per cent increase compared to 2013’s total of 706m. More generally, the PC games market worldwide is worth around $27bn (19bn) according to research firm Newzoo. PC stands for 37 per cent of the 2015 global games market.
Last year was a pretty good 12 months for Steam, as its paid game market generated $3.5bn (2.4bn), according to analytics site Steam Spy.
More than 3,000 new games were added on the platform last year, whereas only 1,900 were released in 2014. The number of concurrent users on Steam also increased from eight million to 12 million, with more than 350 million games being sold. These figures don’t include free-to-play titles or DLC.
The Winter Sale allowed Steam to perform particularly well: December was the biggest month in terms of revenue for the platform, with $436m (308m).
April 2015 was also an important month with $411m (290) in revenue, thanks to the release of Grand Theft Auto V, which sold more than 3.8 million copies and generated over $161m (113m) in revenue on PC.
The Rockstar hit remains one of the best sellers of the year, along with Fallout 4, which sold over 2.7 copies and earned more than $122m (86m) between its release in November and the end of the year.
In the UK, gaming accessories represented 495m in revenues in 2015. A lot of this was from popular console accessories, but the growth in high priced PC peripherals – driven by a burgeoning eSports scene – is having a positive effect.
Razer BlackWidow Chroma Mechanical USB Gaming Keyboard
The BlackWidow mechanical keyboard is one of Razer’s best sellers. Designed specifically for gaming, it was built to resist up to 60 million keystrokes. It features Chroma customisable backlighting to enhance the gaming experience.
SRP: 139.99
Manufacturer: Razer
Distributor: VIP Computers
Contact: 01925 286 900
Prif Speedster 1 Wireless Gaming Chair
This gaming chair combines comfortable features, such as lumbar support and headrests, with quality stereo speakers. Of course, the seat can be raised or lowered so that PC gamers can be perfectly positioned in front of their desks.
SRP: 179.99
Manufacturer: Prif
Distributor: Centresoft
Contact: 0121 625 3399
Turtle Beach Ear ForceStealth 450
A premium wireless headset that aims at delivering the best PC gaming experience.
SRP: 99.99
Manufacturer: Turtle Beach
Distributor: Exertis
Contact: 01279 822 822
Mad Catz MMO TE TournamentEdition Gaming Mouse
This mouse allows gamers to program up to 60 commands for any game. It was specifically designed to play MMO games.
SRP: 49.99
Manufacturer: Mad Catz
Distributor: Entatech
Contact: 0333 101 1000
League of Legends T-Shirt –Dat Ashe
Riot’s League of Legends remains one of the most played PC games of the last few years. The game is digital only, but this t-shirt is not.
SRP: 21.99
Manufacturer: Jinx
Distributor: Gaming Merchandise UK
Contact: hello@gamingmerchandiseuk.com
Venom Conqueror: PremiumGaming Surface
This gaming surface improves sensor-tracking performance and allows easy flow movements.
SRP: 12.99
Manufacturer: Venom
Distributor: Venom
Contact: 01763 284 181
Qpad QH-90 Gaming Headsetwith Closed Ear Cups
Qpad’s QH-90 features a detachable microphone and closed ear cups to reduce background noise. It comes in black or white.
SRP: 70.06
Manufacturer: Qpad
Distributor: Entatech
Contact: 0333 101 1000
