According to Globe Newswire, tech management consultants, Jon Peddie Research have attributed an increase in the sales of PC gaming hardware to the rise of eSports, which is now recognised and regulated as a legitimate sporting activity in many territories. In its latest forecast, JPR predicts that annual PC gaming hardware sales will reach $856 million this year and $2.2 billion by 2020, a 42% increase.
Ted Pollak, JPR Senior Video Game Industry Analyst said:
“Much of the current eSports research focuses on advertising and event revenue as well as game sales influenced by eSports tournament creation or adoption. Often overlooked is the fact that eSports is increasing hardware revenue in multiple ways. The first and most important factor is that eSports is minting new customers. Their initial system and peripheral purchases often measure over a thousand dollars. Additionally, hardware marketing via team sponsorships are encouraging new and existing gamers to select better parts and accelerate upgrades and rebuilds which also enhances the market”.
We’re not only talking about a decent rig here; competitors need a high-resolution display with a top-end refresh rate and the very best in peripherals and communication hardware to stay ahead of the game. What’s more, these products will be superseded regularly, and many will upgrade their gear annually or bi-annually.
The President of JPR, Jon Peddie, also added:
“Our analysis not only measures eSports influence across hardware segments, but it drills down to pricing tiers within each segment and does this for all major geographic regions globally. If one adds our data to even the most conservative advertising, software, and event revenue, the market has already breached $1.5 billion. eSports is about and for the gaming community, not just who’s selling ads, or running conferences”.
Analyst Comment
These predictions make perfect sense, considering how widespread and accessible eSports has become in recent years, and the investment in top-notch hardware required in order to take part, certainly in the initial stages.
It’s certainly true that eSports has grown at an astonishing rate in the last few years. At a time when PC gaming is generally becoming less and less popular as video game consoles begin to match the capabilities of top-end gaming PCs, it will be very interesting to see if hardware sales continue to defy the declining PC gaming market in this way. (AF)
