Analysts: Gaming will be $92 billion business by 2015

Looking back, we might all come to remember 2006 as the year everything changed in the video game industry. That’s when the Wii and the PS3 hit store shelves and software sales, which were already strong, began to explode.

Now, a new report from Global Industry Analysts predicts the video game industry will see global software sales hit $91.96 billion by the year 2015. It’s a bold claim, which would require the numbers to nearly double over the next six years. (Global software sales are estimated in the $50 billion range currently. The precise number is difficult to nail down because there is no central repository of data.)

Global Industry Analysts says the expansion will be fueled by “continuous technology developments, upgradation of gaming platforms, rising broadband penetration, and increasing uptake of massively multiplayer online games and wireless gaming.”

All are fair points. With the increase in broadband penetration, you’re likely to see more people sampling massively multiplayer online (MMO) games. That means more people shelling out $15 per month to play, which will drive revenues. And the intrusion of the iPhone onto the mobile gaming scene is opening up that field for people who swore they would never play games on their phone.

Additionally, the Asia-Pacific and Latin American markets are beginning to open up, which publishers and console makers are counting on to offset any possible loss in traditional markets.

The study notes that while PC and console markets are faltering a bit, due to the recession, online and wireless are continuing to expand. (This is, in part, why you’re seeing certain publishers rush towards MMOs right now. Even a moderately sized loyal audience can make a game a big financial winner.)

Right now, according to the report, the United States and Europe account for more than half of the world’s video games software market. Asia-Pacific is expected to spearhead growth, though, especially in online game.

In the U.S., the introduction of new consoles has had a dramatic effect. The NPD Group says domestic game sales in 2006 were $7.4 billion. In 2007, they jumped to $9.5 billion – and were up to $11.7 billion in 2008.

They’re tracking a bit lower so far this year, but the back half of 2009 is loaded with top-tier games that could let the industry reclaim its ‘recession resistant’ label and once again show sales growth.