DFC Intelligence today released a report that forecasts the market for English language client-based free-to-play (F2P) games on the PC  as:

• $250 million in 2009
• $2 billion by 2015

Other interesting data points includes:

• By the end of 2010, it is expected that English language client based F2P games will have a combined total of 128 million registered users
• 8 of the top 12 cities in terms of internet connection speed, are in Korea

According to Pearl Research with its new “Online Games Market in Korea” study, the online games market in Korea is forecasted to exceed $2 Billion in 2011. Other key points from the report include:

The median spent on digital goods in 2009 was:

• $50 per year for Social Networks
• $40 per year for MMOs
• $40 per year for Casual Games
• $40 per year for Free to Play Games
• $37 per year for PC Games with Online Play
• $20 per year for Console Games with Online Play

Other key points include:

• 32% of respondents made purchases within social networks
• Males are playing significantly more games and are the primary drivers of total digital goods sales
• North American women 25 and older are spending disproportionately large sums of money on digital goods
• The average female spent $55 dollars on Social Network games compared to $30 for males

The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) has predicted that there will be:

• 2.1 Million 3D TVs in 2010
• 6 Million 3DTVs in 2011
• Smartphones will generate $26 billion in 2011
• 54 million Smartphones will ship in 2010
• 66 million Smartphones are expected to ship in 2011

EEDAR and the Guildhall at SMU released a new study (download it here) on how professional review scores affect purchase intent. There is a correlation between positive reviews helping to drive sales, however it isn’t a direct relationship (but we already knew that). The interesting part is that people not exposed to review scores rated things higher than the media and had higher purchase intent. My takeaway is that if your game isn’t great, don’t send out copies to the media for review and you’ll have more sales.

BURLINGAME, CA & NEW YORK, NY – Jun 22, 2010 – Virtual goods purchased on smartphones are a new emerging market in the United States. Who is actually buying them and how much they’re spending, however, has not been completely understood. Today, Frank N. Magid Associates and mobile social gaming network OpenFeint are shedding some light on the subject by providing the first-ever estimate on how much Americans are currently spending on virtual goods.

According to the study, Magid Media Futures 2010 Wireless and Consumers, Americans spent $168 million on mobile virtual goods in the last year. Magid estimates that over 70 million Americans now own smartphones – that’s 23 percent of the population. With 45 percent of those smartphone owners playing mobile games and 16 percent of those spending an average of $41 per year on in-game virtual goods, the market has already exceeded $168 million.

“The market for virtual goods has already exploded in web-based games like Zynga’s Farmville, and we’re just now starting to see this trend in the mobile space,” said Steve Lin, VP Operations of Aurora Feint. “In just the last few months we’ve seen amazing interest from our game developers in building mobile social games with virtual goods. Our internal numbers reflect the study in that free-to-play models will be the dominant pricing structure in the future.”

With 55 percent of smartphone gamers interested in buying virtual goods, the market is poised for strong growth as more virtual goods-based games enter the market. The study also shed more light on who is likely to play games on smartphones. Compared to the general population, smartphone gamers skew male and are between 18 and 34 years of age.

Smartphone gamers are active consumers of multiple games, downloading 14 games on average per year. Of these games, recipients paid money for 4 games and obtained 10 for free meaning that consumer pay for mobile games at a 2:5 ratio vs. downloading free games. As expected, Americans are most likely to review application store rankings to find games, but are also likely to rely on word of mouth and the suggestions of their friends.

“Everybody knows free-to-play social gaming models on PC platforms have been making a killing but mobile virtual goods aren’t as well understood,” said Mike Vorhaus, President, Magid Advisors. “With almost 20 percent of smartphone gamers already making purchases, there’s a lot of room for the market to keep taking off as smartphones continue to increase in popularity.”

This is the first half of a two-part study that will be released this Summer.

For more information on the mobile virtual goods industry or Aurora Feint, please contact Ken Johnston at ken@vscconsulting.com. Aurora Feint partnered with Frank N. Magid Associates, Inc. www.magid.com to conduct and analyze the mobile virtual goods studies.

About Aurora Feint, Inc.
Aurora Feint, Inc.’s software development kit, OpenFeint, allows game publishers to implement services which enable mobile social gaming. With over 25 million registered users and a presence in over 2,000 games, OpenFeint is the first and largest social gaming platform for the iPhone. Aurora Feint is backed by DeNA Inc.

• Direct paying users generated $340 Million in 2009, which is estimated to grow to $1.191 Billion in 2012
• Offers generated $324 Million in 2009, which is estimated to grow to $868 Million in 2012
• Advertising to players of social games generated $62 Million in 2009, which is estimated to grow to $124 Million in 2012

The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) released it’s annual Essential Facts About the Computer and Video Game Industry covering the U.S. market, this week. You can download the report here. Some of the key points are below:

• The average game player is 34 years old
• The average game buyer is 40 years old
• 26% of gamers were over 50 in 2010
• 67 % of U.S. Households play computer and video games
• 62% of gamers play with others
• 40% of game players are female
• 48% of all games sold are rated ‘E’ for Everyone by the Entertainment Software Rating Board
• 64% of parents believe games are a positive part of their children’s lives
• 76% of parents believe that the parental controls available in all new video game consoles are useful
• 42% of Americans play games on wireless devices such as cell phones or PDAs