TheGameDiscoverCo: Game Catalogs on PC and Gaming Consoles in 2023
Embrace yourself. Competition intensifies!
Simon Carles from GameDiscoverCo analyzed the number of games available to players on different platforms at the end of 2023.
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The current game catalog on Steam counts 79,919 games. In 2023, 14,535 new projects were released - a new record for the platform.
The number of games on Nintendo Switch is 11,600. Of these, 2,608 projects were released in 2023.
On PlayStation 4 and 5 at the end of 2023, there were 7,288 games, 1,335 of which were released in 2023. Sony's platform is the only one where fewer games were released in 2023 than in 2022 (1,335 compared to 1,635).
Owners of Xbox One and Xbox Series S|X had access to 5,808 games at the end of 2023. 945 of them were released in 2023.
As seen from the graph, Steam is far ahead of all platforms in terms of the number of games. This is explained by the fact that releasing a game on Steam is the easiest.
Several conclusions
More games mean more competition. By releasing a new game, you compete not only with new projects but also with all other games released on the platform. Many of them already have a lot of content and public recognition.
Nintendo Switch gained popularity among indie developers in 2018-2019. Looking at the graphs, it can be seen that the number of games on the platform was small, making it much easier to stand out (and earn). Those times have passed. The console's audience still loves indie games, but available marketing channels need to be utilized.
The back catalog of large and medium-sized companies is growing, and revenue from it is increasing, but the average sales volume per project is decreasing. I assume this is due to increased competition and the need to offer significant discounts on games.