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PC games made $32.2bn globally in 2017

PC games made $32.2bn globally in 2017

The PC games market was behind 28 per cent of total revenue spent in games in 2017.

That's according to GamesIndustry.biz, which cites Newzoo data, and represents a 1.4 per cent rise year-on-year.

23 per cent of the total spend was the $32.3bn splashed on boxed and digital PC titles, an increase of 3.8 per cent, while another four per cent is represented by the browser space.

That's actually a 9.4 per cent decrease year-on-year, but the market still brings in a tidy $5.2bn overall which isn't to be sniffed at.

This is Newzoo data, so will be an estimate, but the company's guesses are usually bang on the money.

GI also refers to SuperData research to try and figure out which PC VR games generated the most revenue in 2017, up until November 30th. First place goes to Superhot VR, with Arizona Sunshine coming in second place. The No.3 spot goes to Owlchemy's Job Simulator, one of the earliest hits on the platform, while Raw Data and Tilt Brush take fourth and fifth positions.

Some more interesting stats: the site reckons that 142,612 people attended the four major trade shows, GDC, E3, Gamescom and Tokyo Game Show. Tencent's market valuation of $500bn is the biggest ever for an Asian tech firm, with the tech and entertainment giant generated a whopping $8bn in games revenue for the first half of the year.

GI's full infographic is below. It also includes – ew – console and mobile games. If you're into that. 

PCGamesInsider Contributing Editor

Alex Calvin is a freelance journalist who writes about the business of games. He started out at UK trade paper MCV in 2013 and left as deputy editor over three years later. In June 2017, he joined Steel Media as the editor for new site PCGamesInsider.biz. In October 2019 he left this full-time position at the company but still contributes to the site on a daily basis. He has also written for GamesIndustry.biz, VGC, Games London, The Observer/Guardian and Esquire UK.