Analysis of the Global Cloud Gaming Market

A Radical Paradigm Shift in the Videogame Industry, Driving Multiple Growth Opportunities

This study examines the trends, challenges, and opportunities found in the global cloud gaming market, and also forecasts the number of users and market size between the years 2022-2025, with the base year being 2021. Cloud gaming enables users to play videogames without the need of downloading the full software or having access to the latest hardware, and it is present across a wide range of devices including PCs, consoles, mobiles, and tablets. Instead of relying on the processing power of the gaming device, cloud gaming works by rendering and playing remotely in servers hosted across specialized data centers, with users watching the gameplay and sending inputs locally.

The report begins by providing a brief explanation on how cloud gaming services are provided, describing existing business models. It then offers a throughout rundown of many of the existing participants in the market, detailing the number of games offered, device compatibility, up-to-date prices, and differentiating factors. The report also discusses several of the drivers and restraints currently affecting the market, such as the advent of 5G connectivity or the entry of major videogame developers when it comes the former and high economic barriers or lack of economies of scale when it comes to the latter.

The cloud gaming market is still in a nascent stage. As a result, it shows outstanding growth for the incoming years, with B2C (business-to-consumer) revenues of $13.05 billion by 2025, compared to revenues $1.6 billion in 2021, showcasing a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 69% for the whole period. As the forecast does not include B2B (business-to-business) revenues, the author believes that the market holds even more potential for revenue generation. When it comes number of users worldwide, the publisher estimates that total users will reach 349.4 million by 2025, compared to 60.6 million users in 2021.

Forecast Assumptions:

• The number of videogame users will grow steadily across all regions, as while the market experienced massive adoption at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, new users continue to discover the possibilities offered by gaming.
• Users across emerging markets are more aware of cloud gaming, primarily due to both gaming hardware and software being extremely restrictive in these regions, linked to low-income levers and unstable exchange rates.
• The serviceable market for cloud gaming providers will grow at a constant rate, when considering that the market still faces some daunting challenges. This assumption also simplifies the forecast process.

Finally, the report also presents several opportunities still present in the market, such as the mobile and Chinese cloud gaming markets for cloud gaming service providers, the future investment in data centers for telcos and data center providers, or the wide range of opportunities for smart TV makers, streaming platforms, or event organizers. The report also showcases some case studies that provide a deep dive into some of the most influential companies in the market.