Next Generation Consoles: Games publishing, hardware analysis and forecasts to 2010

The Screen Digest report Next Generation Consoles: Games publishing, hardware analysis and forecasts to 2010 examines the prospects for next generation platforms and the implications for the console manufacturers and third party publishers alike. In addition the report forecasts next generation hardware and software markets to 2010.

By using survey data from major software publishers, the report provides an overview of third party attitudes to making games for the new console platforms. In addition the report models how many unit sales a third party publisher will need to sell in order to break even in the key US market. The report considers the implications for the hardware manufacturers in an era where the cost of developing new titles has climbed significantly. The early part of the console cycle is the most costly and third party publishers must make tough decisions on which of the new platforms to support, without the benefit of knowing how successful each console will be in a given territory.

Key Findings

• Global sales of next generation software is forecast to reach $13.9bn by 2009
• PS2-style dominance will not be repeated in the next generation hardware market: we anticipate that competition will be far more intense with market shares split on a territorial basis
• The cost of making games has increased markedly in the next generation, as a consequence the importance of first party publishing has increased while third parties seek strategies to mitigate now precipitous levels of risk
• Sales of PS2 games will persist well into the next generation: Screen Digest anticipates significant PS2 game sales across all major territories until the end of 2008

content of the report

• Global next generation console hardware and software forecasts to 2010
• Analysis of platform owner and third party publisher strategies
• The rising cost of making games
• Break even analysis: how much must a game sell to break even in the US
• Next generation software catalogues: publishing pipelines, historic sales, new IP and platform exclusivity analysed
• Next generation online: the evolution from games platform to broadband media hub

pricing and ordering

55 pages, 43 tables/charts

Standard Edition (print-copy): 1.200,00 € excl. sales taxes/VAT

Corporate Edition (PDF + print-copy): 2.400,00 € excl. sales taxes/VAT

author

Ed Barton

Use the ordersheet or appeal to Dr. Katrin Penzel per Email: Katrin.Penzel(at)Goldmedia.de