State of Play: The Licensed Gaming Landscape

The video game market has become a behemoth in recent years, growing from the 8-bit days of classics such as the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) to the immersive, highly detailed and expansive universes powered by the latest generation of consoles and PCs. 

Generating over $184 billion in 2023, according to Newzoo, the global games market grew 0.6% year-over-year and is forecast to gather pace this year and beyond, continuing growth to $205.7 billion by 2026 (1.3% CAGR). The gaming audience will surpass predictions of 3.38 billion active players in 2024, each spending more time per title on average than with any other entertainment medium. However, with increased digital requirements, developmental pressures, cost-of-living effects on consumer demand and growing competition come increased costs, budgets for games in development are under pressure, leading to the halt in production ...