A recent industry report from Newzoo, unveiled during the Games Developer Conference, reveals intriguing insights into gaming habits as we move through 2024. The findings indicate that a significant portion of players’ time continues to be devoted to older titles, with a mere fraction of gameplay hours allocated to newly released games this year.
Insights from the Report
According to the report, an impressive 67% of total hours spent playing PC games last year were dedicated to titles that are six years old or more. Notable games leading this trend include:
- Counter Strike 2 and GO – 7.1%
- League of Legends – 6.4%
- Roblox – 6.2%
- DOTA 2 – 5.8%
- Fortnite – 5.4%
Additionally, 25% of playtime was spent on games aged between two to five years, leaving only 8% for releases from 2024. This pattern was echoed on consoles, where 44% of PlayStation and 49% of Xbox playtime was also attributed to games over six years old. However, both platforms saw a slightly higher engagement with 2024 releases, accounting for 15% of total playtime.
The report highlights a growing trend in overall playtime hours, yet notes that this growth is heavily concentrated among AAA titles, leading to a competitive landscape that is “fierce and near zero sum.” Players are increasingly gravitating towards a smaller selection of games, with an average of 10 games played per person on Steam and PlayStation, and 9 on Xbox. For a game to be counted, players must engage with it for at least two hours, indicating a shift in play habits that may be narrowing the market for new launches.
In terms of financial implications, the report reveals that yearly console revenues from full-price games reached approximately .9 billion, marking a 14% decline compared to 2023. Newzoo attributes this downturn to the inability of 2024 to replicate the strong release slate of the previous year, which featured blockbuster titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Spider-Man 3, Baldur’s Gate 3, and Super Mario Bros Wonder.
