DFC Intelligence Issues Forecasts for Major Games of 2017

    SAN DIEGO, CA, April 24, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Market analyst firm DFC Intelligence has released the latest series of reports in its subscription game forecasting service that takes a look at the outlook for upcoming major PC and console games for 2017 and beyond. This service looks at 250 games scheduled for release on PC and the major console systems from April until the end of 2017. This includes games for the PC, Sony PlayStation 4, Microsoft Xbox One, Nintendo Switch as well as some key virtual reality titles.

In late March, DFC Intelligence released its forecasts for the global video game market, Worldwide Video Game Market Forecasts. This report forecasted that software growth for the major console systems (both digital and packaged) would be up 21% in 2017. Much of this is driven by the launch of the Switch, but sales of PlayStation 4 and Xbox One software is expected to be up 15% as well. Meanwhile PC game sales are expected to grow 6%.

"Over the years, DFC has had great success accurately forecasting market sales by doing both top-down analysis as well as a bottom-up analysis of individual products that will drive sales. We are predicting strong sales for PC games and the PlayStation 4 largely driven by a solid product release lineup," said DFC analyst David Cole.

Of the noteworthy titles being launched in 2017, 71% of the titles will be for PC including 76 titles that DFC has listed as major titles. The PlayStation 4 has 53% of titles launching on its platform, but 73 of those titles are considered major. Forty-three percent of titles will launch on Xbox One with 54 of those considered major. A total of 58 titles are launching for the Switch yet only 15 of those are considered major. In terms of exclusive titles, there are 23 major titles for PlayStation 4 not being launched on other console systems, versus only 4 major titles for Xbox One and 6 for the Switch.

"The Nintendo Switch has had strong sales into the core Nintendo fan base but now needs to expand its audience," said DFC analyst Jeremy Miller. "This could prove challenging as the lineup of games for the platform is limited with most products being ports of older games, including many digital-only titles. The Switch has the most expensive entry-level system this year and after the initial excitement dies down it will need some major marketing to convince consumers to come on board."

It should be noted that there are likely to be new titles announced at the annual E3 show in Los Angeles this June. These products will be covered in the next quarterly DFC report. "Holiday 2017 will be when many consumers will evaluate both the Switch and the new Xbox One Project Scorpio. We are hoping at E3 both Nintendo and Microsoft show a broader lineup of major titles for these new systems. If either company does not have a stronger selection of games at E3, it could prove problematic for driving holiday sales of their respective hardware," said Cole.

The game forecasting service is available via subscription and is updated quarterly. Included each quarter is an analysis of the performance of titles released in the previous quarter. The service is specifically designed for marketers, investors and other industry professionals to understand the competitive landscape over the next few quarters in order to make informed business decisions and can be customized for each client's specific needs. Contact DFC directly for more information and pricing details

DFC Intelligence (http://www.dfcint.com) is a strategic market research and consulting firm focused on interactive entertainment and the emerging video game, online game, interactive entertainment and portable game markets. Since 1995, DFC has published in-depth strategic market reports and subscription-based research services. DFC research is used by more than 300 leading companies in over 30 countries worldwide.

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