The video game craze shows no signs of stopping! This week, SuperData Research reported a total of $61.3 billion in digital-game revenue, EA chooses its own consumer event over E3, and Mortal Kombat is coming to TV through The CW.
Digital Game Revenues Hit a Record High in 2015
According to a new SuperData Research market report, digital-game revenue increased by 8% in 2015 to hit a whopping $61.3 billion. Leading the PC and overall games sector was League of Legends, generating $1.6 billion, SmileGate’s CrossFire at $1.1 billion, and Neople’s Dungeon Fighter Online at $1.05 billion (reports VentureBeat). In the mobile category, Clash of Clans lead the charge, reaching an estimated $1.3 billion in revenue. Overall, PC still reigned supreme but not by much, with the top 10 PC games earning a combined $6.3 billion compared to the top 10 mobile games at $6.18 billion.
EA Leaves E3
Electronic Arts will not be joining in on the E3 festivities this year. Instead EA will be hosting its own EA Play event that will be open to the public, citing that “EA’s player experience underscores E3 as the global launchpad for video game news, announcements, and excitement.” EA Play will be held two days prior to E3 at the nearby Club Nokia in Los Angeles with a corresponding event in London, reports GamesIndustry. So far, we know that there will be advanced ticket bookings for the general public, but no fee to attend the event itself. With their departure from the conference, EA leaves a prime South Hall floor space and conference slot behind.
The CW and Machinima bring eSports to TV
YouTube MCN Machinima’s eSports documentary series “Chasing the Cup” has been picked up by The CW. The show’s third season, which focuses on players in a Mortal Kombat X tournament, will be the first TV deal for the YouTube video game/entertainment network, reports Variety. The weekly episodes will follow well-known Mortal Kombat players as they work towards the $100,000 ESL Mortal Kombat X Pro League finals. The one hour special for the finals will be aired on broadcast TV while the rest of the season will be shown through the CW’s Seed service. This new partnership unites two Warner Bros. companies as the studio owns half of the CW and has an equity investment in Machinima.