There are now 11 countries that have an annual video game revenue in excess of US$ 1 billion. By 2009, the video game market is expected to reach a whopping US$ 57 billion. Leading the charge are the Xbox 360, the PlayStation 3, and the Wii. Analyst David Cole of DFC Intelligence speaks his peace on the current generation of consoles. Which is the most profitable platform for 2007? The answer is a doozy. Make a guess, and find out after the "read more" link.

Okay, so you've got your agenda finalized. What's the next thing to do? Why, it's to announce the All-Star Speakers, of course.

Evergreen Events, the organizer of the 2008 ION Game Conference, has done precisely that. It's mentioned four important names to take note of. Find out who these four people are after the jump.

 

DFC Intelligence, expert in video game and entertainment market research, recently released forecasts for the gaming industry. According to the research firm, Microsoft's Xbox 360 could lose the so-called "console war" and fall in a distant third place when year 2009 kicks in.

Various sources make it quite clear that the Nintendo Wii is zooming past its competition in terms of sales but Microsoft's horse trails close behind. DFC researchers, however, found weakness in 360's recent sales. If the current pace goes on for a couple of years, the Wii will dominate until 2008 ends. Sony's year will be 2009, when PlayStation 3 sales move into overdrive as DFC foresees.

DFC analyst David Cole pointed out how likely Sony will be leading in the software race even if Nintendo's console continues to sell. In order to share Xbox 360's presence to the scene, Microsoft "will need to build a strong base outside North America," said Cole.

By 2009, DFC expects US$ 47 billion in revenue for the gaming industry. Sales of the three big consoles are to reach numbers between 180 million to 210 million when 2012 comes - if DFC's projections are correct, that is. During the same year, PC gaming could be racking up $US 13 billion in revenue thanks to the ever-growing online games market and convenient digital distribution.

DFC's research is strongly positive toward handhelds. Cole stated that the Nintendo DS could be on top as the best-selling game system ever five years from now. Nothing is set in stone, but we can be sure of one thing: it'll be fun to watch how everything unfolds, and gamers win in the end.

The gaming industry is now shaping up to become one of the most lucrative businesses ever. Just a few days after NPD's sunny US$ 18 billion prediction, DFC Intelligence released a statement that the interactive entertainment industry is set to skyrocket and gain about as much as US$ 47 billion worth of revenue come 2009. The prediction covers all video game markets, including PC gaming.

Furthermore, DFC also predicted that the PC gaming market will earn as much as US$ 13 billion once year 2012 hits.

While the DFC puts (unsurprisingly) a high amount of confidence towards the portable gaming market ( particularly the Nintendo DS) they are still uncertain about the individual outcome for each of the three competing next-gen consoles: Microsoft's Xbox 360, Sony's PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii.

Apart from the DS, DFC also raised its forecast for the Wii, as well as the PS3. However, their forecast for Microsoft's Xbox 360 has been lowered, saying that Microsoft needs to improve on their market outside North America.

However, despite the unpredictability of the next-gen console race, the DFC forecasts that the combined effort of the three competing systems will yield a high sales rate of 180 to 210 million units by year 2012.

 

Yeah, yeah, you've read the studies, it's likely that casual gamers are your mothers, so no need to go into the gamers. Money-wise though, this means that Casual Games are big business at the moment. Not to pass-up an opportunity to make a profit, Microsoft has launched a new casual games website.

The site boasts what they claim to be over 400 games in every major genre possible. Of course these figures include games on Xbox Live, MSN Games, and games over Windows Live Messenger. Here's what Microsoft had to say in their Casual Games Fact Sheet:

The casual games space is growing at an unprecedented rate, and Microsoft has emerged as an undisputed leader in multiple-platform casual offerings, with more than 10 years of experience in the space. According to DFC Intelligence, revenue from casual games is expected to grow from $713 million (U.S.) in 2005 to $1.56 billion(U.S.) in 2008, fueled by the global appeal of games such as Bejeweled, Hexic, Diner Dash and Bespelled.

Check out the site yourself if you wish, just click on our "read" link below.

Casual games: small things employees play when they're bored at work.