Video games to reach $68.3 bln by 2012

Video game industry is expected to shoot from $41.9 bln in global sales 2007 to $68.3 bln in 2012, a compound annual growth rate of 10.3%, PriceWaterhouseCoopers reported. Online and wireless games will grow the fastest at 16.9% and 19%, respectively. Online will jump from $6.6 bln 2007 to $14.4 bln in 2012, while wireless games go from $5.6 bln to $13.5 bln in the same frame. Video game advertising sector, which will go from the $1 bln level in 2007 to $2.3 bln in 2012, a 16.7% annual growth rate. PC games will fall 1.2% a year from 2007’s $3.8 bln to $3.6 bln in 2012. The U.S. also will lag a bit compared with global growth, with overall video game revenue growing by 7.9% annually, from $12.1 bln in 2007 to $17.7 bln in 2012.