Omdia: The global game industry's revenue is expected to reach US$234 billion in 2025, and technology suppliers will account for more than 30% of the output value

The Zhitong Finance App learned that Omdia published an article stating that in 2025, the game industry is expected to generate 234 billion US dollars in revenue, of which about 71 billion US dollars will go to technology suppliers. This means that these companies now account for more than 30% of the total value of the gaming market. This revenue distribution highlights the core enabling role of game technology infrastructure in the modern game market, throughout development, operation, distribution, monetization, and security.

According to Omdia, the game industry is by no means only composed of developers and publishers, but a value network where the role of technology suppliers is increasingly critical. Although developers and publishers receive most of the surface revenue, huge sums of money are still flowing along the value chain to technology suppliers. The modern gaming industry relies on a huge network of technology suppliers, and every company plays a key role in the “from concept to finished product” process. Together, these technology vendors will form a $71.5 billion market in 2025, equivalent to more than 30% of the value of the entire gaming industry.

These technology vendors can be broadly divided into five major areas: development, operation and maintenance, distribution, monetization, and security.

1. Development: the foundation of modern gaming

Game engines (such as Unity and Unreal Engine) form the core of various design and development tools. The complex network formed by these engines and supporting tools provides developers with a modular foundation for game creation. The entire modern game development relies on a technology ecosystem valued at $6 billion a year.

2. Operation and maintenance: the driving force of the game market

Even after content development is completed, online games still rely on infrastructure networks for continuous operation — especially multiplayer online and real-time service games, which require support such as server architectures and operation and maintenance solutions. Even stand-alone games rely heavily on operation and maintenance tools such as data analysis and content management. This technology field, which will exceed $14 billion in 2025, has become one of the most critical links in game technology.

3. Distribution: Game store platform

Digital distribution platforms have become a major channel for connecting developers and players, but their value goes far beyond distribution. These platforms provide a complete set of services such as data analysis, account management, and social functions, and form part of the modern gaming experience. As the most profitable field in game technology, the distribution platform market will reach 40 billion US dollars in 2025.

4. Monetize: Turn traffic into revenue

The rise of free-to-play models and in-app purchases has completely reshaped the way games are monetized. Solutions such as advertising technology, payment processing, and subscription management have become key infrastructure supporting the commercialization of games. Game companies invest more than $10 billion a year to monetize profits with various types of technical support.

5. Safety: Guarding the virtual world

As the degree of game connectivity and commercial value increases, security technologies such as anti-external software, DDoS protection, and fraud detection systems are protecting the dual interests of players and developers. This field, which currently has a scale of less than 1 billion US dollars, is still the most difficult part of game technology to commercialize.

Game technology is leveraging its core value, becoming an important tool to reduce optimization processes and reduce costs. Through emerging business models, it is spawning new ways to monetize and reach new users. The rapid integration of AI is also expected to completely change the way games are developed and experienced. Looking ahead, one fact is becoming more and more clear: tomorrow's games will definitely be built on today's technological foundation. Only by actively embracing this complexity and continuing to lead technological innovation can companies win opportunities in this rapidly changing ecosystem.