Over $2 billion has been spent on video game content in the U.S. between April and June 2012 according to the Q2 2012 Games Market Dynamics: U.S. report and The NPD Group.
Specifically, the retail console market earned $1 billion, while the used and rental business brought in $386 million. Yet it was digital content that brought in the big bucks. Content in digital formats, which includes full games, content downloads, subscriptions, mobile games, and social network games, generated $1.47 billion.
“In the second quarter of this year, sales of content in a digital format have grown 17 percent over Q2 2011," said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group.
However, even though digital sales were up, the decline in sales in new software and hardware lead to an overall drop in consumer spending in Q2 by 16 percent, according to the NPD group.
Compared to Europe, where similar research was done in the UK, France, and Germany, physical retail sales came in at $243 million while digital content generated $983 million.
“While many European acquisition trends in the second quarter of 2012 mirrored those we saw in the U.S. due to seasonality, Europe differed from the U.S. in terms of softer mobile spending, but greater stability in rental trends," said Anita Frazer.
She continued, "Growth in full-game and add-on content downloads in the second quarter is surprisingly similar as the content behind this increase is suitable to both markets.”
From these numbers it seems as though digital isn't the future, it's happening right now. Are you excited for the revolution?
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