The world is governed by modern advancements and digital happiness is now a thing. People like to spend an increasing amount of time using smart devices. It impacts their mood, relations, preferences, and lifestyles. Smartphones have changed the game drastically. People have access to all types of information readily available at their fingertips. It is projected that by 2027, the number of global smartphone users will touch the historic threshold of 7.69 billion.
The global mobile gaming market will cross the $100 billion mark by 2025. In 2012, people spent an average of 90 minutes on social media, in 2024, this daily time has jumped to 143 minutes per day. The access and use of the internet are multiplied. The entertainment industry is also another prominent factor when it comes to attracting the attention of global youth.
With advancements in the technology, internet, and smartphones, almost all generations have turned to a healthy form of entertainment. Yes, we are talking about the global gaming industry. Irrespective of social class, the game players are growing exponentially. Play-to-earn (P2E) games are another interesting aspect of modern technology. People can play and earn rewards in digital tokens and currencies. There is so much happening in the gaming industry that cannot be encompassed in one piece of writing. Today we are going to discuss the growing number of global game players and where the role of game translation and game localization stands.
Global Video Game Industry Insights
Usually, information about the gaming industry and global gaming insights can be found here and there on the internet. Below are some relevant insights representing the overview of the global gaming industry, development, player base, and revenue. According to Civicscience data, 65% of US adults play video games.
Interestingly, the more the gaming industry becomes dynamic and global, the more it needs localization and translation services. In fact, without the services of a professional game translation company, no one can launch global games. So, with exponentially increased global gaming demand, culturally accurate translation and linguistically sound in-game translations are in high demand. Look at the insights of the global gaming industry.
| Insights | Details |
| Annual Revenue (2023) | $184.0 billion globally |
| Year-Over-Year Growth | +0.6% |
| Global Players | 3.38 billion worldwide |
| Largest Region (Gamers) | Asia-Pacific (52%) |
| Best-Selling Console/PC Game (Units Sold) | Grand Theft Auto V (over 190 million) |
| All-Time Best-Selling Game | Tetris (520 million copies sold) |
| Indie Game Developers | 32% of all developers |
| Gender Distribution (2022) | Male: 1.7 billion, Female: 1.39 billion |
PC Gaming Insights of 2023
The global revenue of PC gaming reached the historic height of $9 million in 2023 with 33.6 million global players. Moreover, there were more than 14,000 games released on Stream.
| Revenue Generated (2023 | $0.9 billion |
| Number of Sold Games (2023) | 580 million |
| Total Number of New Releases (2023) | 14,000 |
| Highest Number of Online Players (2023) | 33.6 M |
Communication is the key to navigating the modernized digital world of gaming, artificial intelligence, social media, and beyond. The player base is famous for its closely-knit gaming community, 88% of gamers developed friendships with like-minded persons while playing games. Moreover, 82% of US gamers made new like-minded friends from the gaming community.
| Gaming Industry Insights (US) | Percentage |
| Gamers who expand their social circle | 88% |
| Gamers who forged new friendships | 82% |
| Parents who play video games with their children | 76% |
| The gaming community provides them with an emotional connection | 60% |
| Made a friend for life or found a spouse | 50% |
| Gamers with happy parents | 47% |
High Demand for Gaming Translation Services
Localization and translation are the keys to global marketing. Every game developer wants to create the next big thing after PUBG. The game translation is an essential part of the localization strategy of all the games. To bridge the linguistic and cultural barriers and target the player base from different target regions, acquiring the services of a professional translation agency is paramount. Below are a few benefits of hiring professional gaming translation services:
- Access to untapped markets
- Increased Reach
- Native and industry expert translators
- High engagement
- Incremental Growth
Top 10 Global Gaming Companies and Revenues of 2023
| Company Name | Revenue |
| Tencent | $7,442 million |
| Sony | $3,410 million |
| Apple | $3,652 million |
| Microsoft | $3,284 million |
| NetEase | $2,814 million |
| $2,418 million | |
| Electro Arts | $1,914 million |
| Activision Blizzard | $2,093 million |
| Nintendo | $1,260 million |
| Take-Two Interactive | $1,129 million |
Takeaways
While facing many challenges, the global gaming market is growing by leaps and bounds. With expert translations, providing the same player experience in the target language is not an easy task. That is why acquiring the services of a translation company is a must. GenZ and Millennials are spending a considerable time playing state-of-the-art games. PUBG has broken all the previous records of mobile games, the credit of its global success also goes to translation and localization service providers.
Gaming translation and localization played a defining role in the global marketing of games. Working with game translation companies will not only cut costs but also make game translations more effective. Hire a gaming translation company today and increase the reach, downloads, and return on investment of your games.
