Circana analyst tells GI.biz 2% 2024 game spending dip an ‘optimistic’ outlook

Circana analyst Mat Piscatella told Gamesindustry.biz that his “most optimistic outlook” for consumer spending on video games in 2024 is that it will fall roughly 2%. “Right now my most optimistic outlook is down about 2%,” Piscatella said. “If you start looking a little bit on the more pessimistic side, you’re looking at down about 10%. If things really go sideways, you’re looking at a little bit more. There’s so much uncertainty when you look at the sales data or look to project this year. There’s uncertainty around the hardware. There’s uncertainty about the content. Who the hell’s making the games?” Publicly traded companies in the space include Microsoft (MSFT), Sony (SONY), Electronic Arts (EA), GameStop (GME), Nintendo (NTDOY), Take-Two (TTWO), Tencent (TCEHY) and Ubisoft (UBSFY).