The premiere consulting firm in the online gaming space, Themis Group, has released its annual report. The forward is by the same guy [me] who wrote the Game Studies article blogged below, but you should pay attention to the report anyway. Highlights: Revenues from virtual worlds should hit $1.4 billion in 2004, up almost 100 percent from 2002. Cash sales of virtual items are projected to grow from $25 million this year to $680 million in 2008. [Edit: There's a quick facts link at the site, but it seems to be down.]
Meanwhile, virtual goods dealer IGE has retained Themis to produce a worldwide marketing campaign. Says Brock Pierce, CEO of IGE: "With Themis Group on our team, we are confident that our brand value and services will be even better conveyed to the market of MMORPG gamers.”
