Gaming Subscriptions Breach $1 Billion

Still convinced, like a recently thawed ice man thrust into a new and scary world, that online gaming and subscription based pay systems will never be a) accepted by players or b) profitable for game makers? Well has The NPD Group got news for you!

Analysts at NPD have put out some very impressive numbers detailing the girth of the online subscription market in the United States, pegging the still expanding segment of the industry hovering at about $1 billion annually, not including digital distribution and online subscription sales (?!! How can you do a study on subscription to online games but not be able to include people who subscribe via the internet??).

An estimated 11 million monthly subscribers dish out their dough on three studied sections of gaming: MMORPG, casual gaming, and console. Of these categories, the top five MMO and portal sites were pulled out of the data. To see which casual portals made the cut, head over to the full article for a peek. Tops for MMOs…any guesses? Do I even have to ask? World of Warcraft naturally, followed by:

2.) RuneScape

3.) Lord of the Rings Online

4.) Final Fantasy XI

5.) City of Heroes

Via | Next-Gen.biz