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2008 Sets a Record Year for Videogames

January 07, 2009 in News comments 5

Electronic Theatre details the UK's videogame market growth throughout 2008 based on figures supplied by ELSPA (the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association).

Sales of videogames hit an all-time high in 2008, according to ELSPA (the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) which today revealed annual sales figures from GFK Chart-Track. Total sales of all videogame software and hardware amounted to £4.034 billion. There was a huge increase in games sales in 2008, with growth of 23 percent on figures for 2007. The market has now more than doubled over the last five years. The increasing popularity of videogames took total sales to £1.905 billion, compared to £1.552 billion in 2007. Hardware sales have been equally spectacular.
kevcothirtythree via electronictheatre.co.uk »
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  • 0
    xxxRockerxxx Jan 7, 09
    It's great seeing the industry just get bigger.
  • 0
    Shiny Mew Jan 7, 09
    Wonder what 2009 will hold.
  • 0
    Shadow of Death Jan 8, 09
    I'm getting a kind of "WTF?" mindset now.

    OK, so supposedly this is a record year for the gaming industry...So why do we keep seeing financial woes (stock value dropping, layoffs, studios closing, etc) on the part of developers/publishers? Especially the bigger developers....

    Is it just the market is so saturated with video game software and hardware, it can't help but grow, financially, at the same time as having the companies themselves posting decreased profits in relation to previous years?
  • 0
    kevcothirtythree Jan 8, 09
    I think it's more to do with a media-generated crisis. The average 20-something gamer with no kids isn't really too much worse-off than last year, but isn't spending because the press are telling them they are. Then, retail chains have to cut prices to attract footfall, which in-turn means larger chains will bargain with publishers for better prices. Effectively, I'm fairly sure that, taking Ubisoft as an example, HMV may have bought 100,000 copies of Assassin's Creed at launch, but they probably paid the same for 120,000 copies of Prince of Persia, meaning that while sales reports may be high, publishers and developers are actually making less for each unit sold...

    I think that makes sense... Let me know if not and I'll have another stab at explaining it!
  • 0
    Shadow of Death Jan 9, 09
    I see, but still, that can't be the only reason. If sales are in fact up, then it would work out to be at leat close to the same as before. Maybe a bit less, but nothugely (like 10%+ less)

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