US games industry revenue hits record $36bn in 2017
Industry revenue sees 18% growth over 2016 with strong performance from hardware and software sales
US games revenue spiked to a record total of $36.4 billion in 2017, according to the Entertainment Software Association.
The report, jointly released by market research firm The NPD Group, shows an 18% growth in revenue generated by the games industry in 2017 over the year prior.
The figure combines hardware revenue, including peripherals, and software revenue from physical and digital sales, including in-game purchases and subscriptions.
Hardware revenue was up by 19% from $5.8 billion to $6.9 billion, while software revenue rose 18% from $24.6 billion to $29.1 billion.
US mobile spend data, which includes paid downloads and in-game purchases for mobile through the App Store and Google Play, was collected from App Annie.
"The spectacular growth of our industry in 2017 proves video game developers, artists, and storytellers are the brightest lights in the US economy, finding more ways to delight the world's 2.6 billion gamers each year," said Michael D. Gallagher, president and CEO of ESA.
"Congratulations to our industry's brilliant creators on delivering another record year of remarkable entertainment that inspired the passion of gamers everywhere."