The Entertainment Retailers Association has reported that in 2012 the UK video games market fell by 17.4%, including both physical and digital sales. In 2011 the whole video games market in the UK was worth £1.934 billion, in comparison to £1.598 billion in 2012.
While digital sales did increase by 7.7% in 2012, physical sales still made up the majority of sales in the video games market at 65.4%. However, the sales of physical copies of games has decreased overall, as MCV has reported that those sales are now down to £1.05 billion. Despite this video game downloads are now the "most valuable digital entertainment" division in the UK; this is most likely due to the increased number of entertainment formats which can now access digital services, giving heightened accessibility to products.
When compared to other entertainment markets in the UK, the music industry was down by 5.5% in 2012, and the video industry fell by 10%.
What do you think the future holds for the video games industry in 2013? Let's hope this year brings greater prosperity for the whole entertainment industry.
[source mcvuk.com]
Comments 22
Oh no! How will people keep themselves entertained? This is a crisis!
I think nintendo will be converted to being a video game maker than a video game console maker or i hope they go out of business in japan and the USA
@koolkris200 I wouldn't hope for that to happen anytime as they can plan which way their marketing strategy goes to keep sales to increase in future in those countries.
@koolkris200 What kind of person WANTS Nintendo to go out of Business in Japan and the USA? Competition is important for industry standards and the diversity of game playing experiences. Or are you trying to say you want them only to continue operating in Europe?
unkoolkris0, you make no sense. since NoE is only a marketing outfit, that would be the end of Nintendo as a game maker. Go troll somewhere else.
Yes, i did import quite a few less games from the UK last year. Partly because there weren't many great games coming out for 3DS and Wii and partly because for some games i wanted the preorder bonuses i could only get here.
The news image is referencing the infamous Xbox 360 image, right?
http://img.gamespot.com/gamespot/images/2005/news/12/12/360nosellout_screen001.jpg
The digital age is taking over... NOOOOOOOOO
It's about time they lower the price of games. I knew someone who was involved by making games, and his salary was ridiculously high.
I love Gamestop, so I am going to continue to buy hard copies. It is also fun to show off your collection to your friends, so why buy digital copies?
I think the Wii bubble that swept the UK and made everybody want to play consoles has burst. The non gamers who played the wii now pick up a tablet or their phone to play games. Nintendo is right to move back towards proper gamers as the mass market has too much competition.
Anyway this is good news for us a that should mean less shovelware and hopefully better quality games.
By the way I am only talking about the UK.
Or you know..
People don't have much money..
A rising Wii U and the 3DS approaching its prime should help the Nintendo this year.
Games are increasingly expensive, and we are in a recession. This news is not particularly surprising.
With the rising costs of living these days people just don't have the means to fork out hundreds of dollars/pounds/rupees or whatever every week just to play games... The only exception is people like me
@SMEXIZELDAMAN It's not that hard,you just have to be imaginative
I guess people are tightening their belts,and wait for the sales.
These WiiU games are all rediculously overpriced. If they were all a bit cheaper we would buy a lot more.
@3dbrains Do you know how much it costs to make an HD game? The company has to make a profit you know.
Gaming may be one of the easier hobbies to do on the cheap but that still doesn't mean much when money is tight. Needless to say as the budget gets tight the first compromises are non-essentials i.e. entertainment. People will focus on the cheaper sources like mobile and smaller digital games, or stick to older/second hand stuff (or services like steam).
With digital one thing that off-sets the lack of resell is often you can use your purchases on multiple devices. One of the factors that swayed my decision to get a PS3 was the ability to play my PS1 games on both it and my PSP. Unfortunately its something Nintendo hasn't figured out yet (or doesn't want to).
koolcris200 is a DUMB that is all.
Retail pricing and rise of digital. Simple.
Thank you stupid Apple, thank you.
Show Comments
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...