VIDEO GAMES BREACH
BILLION DOL. MARK
Copyright 2002 www.variety.com
[ January 10th 2002 ]
Computer
games-related revenues jumped by more than a third
last year to a record pounds 1.6 billion, according
to figures released yesterday by industry trade
body the European Leisure Software Publishers
Association.
The
data, which comes a day after strong sales growth
from leading games retailer Electronics Boutique,
confirms that the long-awaited turnaround in the
sector's fortunes has begun. However, analysts
believe this year could be better still. Julian
Morse, games analyst at Beeson Gregory, said:
"Computer games are gradually becoming a growing
proportion of retail purchases as the demographic
group grows older at the top end. On top of that,
the market will be massively boosted by UK launches
this spring of the Microsoft Xbox and the Nintendo
GameCube."
Last
year's recovery was stimulated by the first full-year
sales of Sony's PlayStation 2. A total of 1.7m
units have now been sold since the console's UK
launch in the run-up to Christmas 2000. Sales
of console hardware, including the PlayStation
2, increased by 121pc to pounds 567m. In total,
4m units were sold in Britain, which is the third-largest
games market after the US and Japan. Console software
revenues were pounds 711m and a record 30.5m actual
games were purchased, up 26pc on the previous
year. However, the total value of personal computer
games sold remained flat at pounds 346m, although
unit numbers were up 10pc at 16.7m.
Nine
games sold more than 300,000 copies, including
Who Wants to be a Millionaire, and the latest
Lara Croft offering, Tomb Raider 4, both developed
by Eidos. Others in the top flight included multi-player
wrestling classic, WWF Smackdown, from American
developer THQ. Retailer Dixons also reinforced
the upbeat gaming message yesterday by reporting
strong first-half sales growth in games consoles.
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