Record Year For Games in the UK

[TomO]

ELSPA has announced that the UK interactive entertainment market has hit an all time high in 2005, up by 0.7% on 2004’s figures.

Despite being a transition year for the industry, with the period before the launch of next generation hardware expected to see slowing software sales, ELSPA has announced new record figures (http://www.pro-g.co.uk/news/nid/2070/). Sales of interactive entertainment software across all formats totalled £1.35 billion up by 0.7% on the previous year.

As for the best selling game of the year, that honour goes to EA’s FIFA 06 with Konami’s Pro Evolution Soccer taking the second spot. EA have four of the ten top selling games, with FIFA 06 joined by Need for Speed: Most Wanted (No.3), FIFA Street (No.6) and The Sims 2 (No.10).
Full story and top ten (http://www.pro-g.co.uk/news/nid/2070/).

[bean19]

0.7% = woot?

Btw, the top 10 is pretty interesting if you look at the release dates:

1. FIFA 06 - 10/4 release
2. Pro Evolution Soccer 5 - 10/28
3. Need for Speed: Most Wanted - 11/15
4. Gran Turismo 4 - 2/22
5. Star Wars EP III: Revenge of the Sith - 5/4
6. FIFA Street - 2/22
7. Star Wars: Battlefront II - 11/1
8. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas - 10/26/2004
9. King Kong: Official Game of the Movie - 11/21
10. The Sims 2 - 9/14/2004

Factoids:

1. Only 3 of the top 10 were released outside the fall crush months (Sep. - Nov.)
2. 2 of the top 10 best-sellers were released in 2004! (GTA and The Sims).
3. 3 Soccer games in the top ten.
4. 2 Star Wars games in the top ten
5. Only 2 of the top-ten are from video-game created universes. The others are either based on real-life sports (soccer, racing) or on movie intellectual properties (Star Wars, King Kong).

You know. . . we wonder why video game companies keep making the same old crap (not that these are all crap, but a few of them are). I think the numbers speak for themselves. Obviously licensing brands like Star Wars is advantageous, as are sports games. . . even small variations of existing sports games.

However, if you look at the very best ALL-TIME sellers. Games that not only sold well enough to get in the top ten this year, but were released the previous year and thus made the previous year's top ten as well. . . well both of those (Sims and GTA) are videogame "worlds".

[zyzyx]

FIFA Street was possibly the worst game I played all year. At least I can sleep slightly better knowing that PES 5 would have been top were it not for FIFAs 3 week headstart.

Sims 2 has sold very well on consoles over here, despite it being atrocious. That's probably massaged those figures a fair bit.