A recent collection of physical and digital retail sales across the video game industry shows a strong influx of sales regarding digital and physical media. Although digital-sales are on the rise, don’t expect consoles to abandon the physical media just yet. 
 
Although physical sales are still currently outselling their digital counterpart, the numbers are dwindling. Physical retail sales for video games are at the lowest levels since 2006, coming in at just under $10 billion dollars and in decline for the third year in a row. Digital sales continue to grow during the same time-period, expanding from only 20% of the total market in 2009 to 31% in 2011.
 
Consoles are still the preferred method of gaming in the average home according to the report, with PC’s almost matching their numbers. It shouldn’t be a surprise that mobile games have increased in popularity as well, for five-straight years in a row mobile games have seen an increase of gamers.
 
Although digital sales continue to rise, it doesn’t necessarily mean more money for the developer. When comparing the two most popular games for console and mobile devices, Angry Birds came in at just over $106 million in total sales, while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 took in $1 billion dollars in just 16 days.
 
Although digital-download is rising on the mobile game market, there are a few obstacles before it will be accepted on the home console. Large file-sizes and limited harddrive space on units like the PS3 and Xbox 360 can be a hassle for consumers who prefer to to revisit older games.
 
More and more titles are offering digital versions of their games on online-stores like Sony’s PSN or Microsoft’s XBLA. Bioware’s Mass Effect 3 became the first title that fans could “pre-order” using Sony’s PSN service last year.
 
source | statista

20 Jun 2024 by Sean Stewart Contact email , twitter more news Gaming Headlines, Moblie News