Researchers Screen Digest have just finished up looking at the MMO market, and have some cold, hard numbers for us. According to their research, in 2006 the Western MMO market topped $1,000,000,000 for the first time ever.

That is a lot of money. Actually, considering the relatively low number of high-profile MMOs, it's a fuckton of money. And the lions share is going to Star Wars Galaxies...no, really it's Blizzard.

WoW accounted for nearly half the market's total worth, with annual revenue of $471 million. $471 million. Console publishers must look at those numbers and weep despairingly into their pillows. Next in line was daylight, followed by Runescape.

SD also chance their arm at predicting the future, and believe the market will be worth $1.5 billion by 2011, with over 10 million MMO subscribers. That's a lot, but since it's already at $1 billion now, 50% growth in five years seems a bit conservative. Maybe they feel the WoW bubble is about to burst? Wouldn't surprise me in the slightest. Luke Plunkett

Western World MMOG Market: 2006 Review and Forecasts to 2011 [Screen Digest, via Gamasutra]

Send an email to the author of this post at .