[August 18, 2011] Study foresees rebound of video game console market in 2012 Tweet SAN FRANCISCO, Aug 18, 2011 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- Worldwide video game and interactive entertainment console market is expected to see a rebound beginning in 2012, market research firm International Data Corp. (IDC) predicted on Thursday. IDC analysts said that total console hardware and disc-based software revenues are on track to slide a few percent in 2011 compared to 2010, citing recent macroeconomic instability and particularly weak overall video game spending in North America this summer. However, a new IDC study indicated that the notion about the demise of video game console is greatly exaggerated, and the projections that consoles have peaked as a product category look to be premature. The rebound of game console market starting from 2012 will be largely driven by new platform releases, rising console penetration and spending in select developing economies, the IDC study noted. "I expect that the launch of the Wii U, a revamped interactive entertainment console from Microsoft in the 2014 timeframe, and the arrival of Sony's 'PS4' circa 2015 -- along with more than a few exclusive, innovative games -- will help drive a new wave of console-centric spending in the next several years," Lewis Ward, a research manager at IDC, said in a statement. According to IDC forecasts, direct global console hardware and disc software sale revenue will increase at a compound annual growth rate of 3.6 percent from 2010 to 2015, reaching 39.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2015 with developing economy growth rates about twice those in developed markets. [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]