There has been a steady decline in the adoption of gaming consoles in several European markets, while others have remained flat. According to Parks Associates, the continued uptake of mobile gaming, and the availability of games on streaming media devices, have contributed to this trend.
France, Spain and the UK have experienced falling console figures, while Germany has been flat. Parks’ senior research director, Brett Sappington, notes that adoption in France dropped from 59% in 2013 to 49% in 2015. They are being replaced by, for example, smart TVs and streaming media devices. “As penetration of game consoles declines in global markets, companies will have to make difficult decisions regarding which platforms to support as they fund video games or digital media apps,” said Sappington.
The trend is not limited to Europe. Game consoles have been among the most common connected entertainment device in the USA for many years. New research from Parks now predicts that they will fall below 50% broadband household penetration by 2019, following almost a decade of falling sales.
As well as handheld devices, such as smartphones, the gaming industry is also being pushed into a new direction by VR and cloud-based gaming services.
