June 17 (Reuters) - The global videogame market's growth

rate is expected to improve marginally in 2025 from the previous

year, according to a report from research firm Newzoo, seen

exclusively by Reuters on Tuesday.

Analysts and industry experts had projected a surge in

industry growth this year due to the expected blockbuster launch

of Take-Two's "Grand Theft Auto VI" and new consoles.

However, the delay of the long-awaited title to next year

and price hikes to videogame hardware, arising from tariffs,

have made consumer spending uncertain.

The global videogame market is projected to grow 3.4% to

$188.9 billion in 2025, compared with last year's growth of

3.2%, according to the report.

"This forecast reflects concrete changes, hardware cycles,

pricing trends, install base growth, and title pipelines," said

Michiel Buijsman, principle analyst at Newzoo.

Compounded annually, Newzoo expects the market to grow 3.3%

till 2027, compared with its earlier forecast of 3.7%.

As "GTA VI" is scheduled to launch in 2026, the industry

will most likely see the boost from sales next year along with

the release of other premium titles such as Capcom's ( CCOEF )

"Resident Evil Requiem."

The launch of "GTA VI" on PC is also expected to carry

growth through 2027, the report said.

Price increases to Microsoft's ( MSFT ) Xbox and Sony's ( SONY )

PlayStation devices have sparked fears of slower

hardware sales as consumers globally grapple with market

uncertainty, even as Nintendo's ( NTDOF ) Switch 2 became the

company's fastest-selling console.

Xbox also unveiled its own handheld console, the Xbox Ally,

earlier this month, developed in partnership with ASUS

and set to launch in holidays 2025.