ICv2 has released the results of a study on the size of the hobby game market, including the finding that that the market in the U.S. and Canada totaled around $700 million at retail in 2013, as reported in the recently released Internal Correspondence #85.  ICv2 also broke down the market by category, and found that the collectible games category was by far the largest, at $450 million; miniatures were second, at $125 million; board games were third at $75 million; card and dice games fourth at $35 million; and RPGs last at $15 million.

We define "hobby games" as those games produced for a "gamer" market, generally (although not always) sold primarily in the hobby channel of game and card specialty stores.  We define the "hobby games market" as the market for those games regardless of whether they’re sold in the hobby channel or other channels.

In order to arrive at the estimate for the total industry, we compiled estimates on five individual categories:  collectible games, miniatures, board games, card and dice games, and roleplaying games.

We interviewed many industry insiders to compile these estimates, and without their willingness to speak frankly with us about their own estimates of market size and the reasoning behind them, we would have been unable to complete this project.

We also report on the Spring season in the hobby game market, and found that it remained strong.  In collectible games, Magic: The Gathering was not as strong (although definitely not weak), but Pokemon, My Little Pony, and Marvel Dice Masters were taking up the slack.  WizKids' Dice Masters, in particular, was red hot (although in very short supply), with some calling it the “hottest game in years.”

Board games continued to grow in 2014, with growth coming from both the hard core games and civilians coming over in large numbers from other markets.

In miniatures, the two big licensed games, Star Wars X-Wing and Star Trek Attack Wing, were the games with the most heat this Spring, as the market anticipated the new edition of Warhammer 40K.

Boss Monster and Adventure Time were the big news in the Card and Dice Games category, with both getting a big reaction and selling out quickly.

And in RPGs, Dungeons & Dragons failed to appear in the Spring Top 5 in the last chart before the release of the new edition, the first time that’s happened since we began charting hobby game sales a dozen years ago.    

ICv2 published its hobby game bestseller charts in the new issue, covering all five categories.

For the lists of the bestselling Collectible Games in the hobby channel, in the mass channel, and over-all, click here.
For the bestselling board games in the hobby channel, click here.
For the bestselling card/dice games in the hobby channel, click here.
For the bestselling RPGs, click here.
For the bestselling non-collectible miniature games, click here.

For information on how to get your copy of Internal Correspondence #85, see "ICv2 Releases 'Internal Correspondence' #85."