A billion virtual world users in 10 years

New research by Strategy Analytics predicts that registration to virtual worlds will undergo major expansion over the next decade, as reported by GameDaily.

The report suggests that 22 percent of all broadband users will register to a virtual world by 2018. That's one billion people, which Strategy Analytics estimates as a market worth USD 8 billion, especially as its potential for advertisers and marketeers.

"Despite a multitude of challenges, virtual worlds present a unique marketing opportunity to target a highly sought demographic, and virtual worlds should be part of a company's marketing portfolio," said president Harvey Cohen.