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[sonycowboy]

2006 U.S. VIDEO GAME AND PC GAME RETAIL SALES REACH $13.5 BILLION EXCEEDING PREVIOUS RECORD SET IN 2002 BY OVER $1.7 BILLION

Total Industry Experienced 18 Percent Growth Over 2005

PORT WASHINGTON, NY, January 18, 2007 – According to leading marketing information provider, The NPD Group, U.S. retail sales of video games, which includes portable and console hardware, software and accessories, generated revenues of close to $12.5 billion, exceeding the previous record of $10.5 billion set in 2005.

Retail sales in the PC game software industry showed signs of growth, with revenues up one percent, exceeding $970 million in 2006, bringing the total console, portable and PC game industry close to $13.5 billion, an 18 percent increase over the previous year, and a 15% increase over the previous record achieved in 2002.

Aside from portable hardware which was flat year-over-year, all video game categories experienced robust growth, with the driving force in sales led by the console hardware, portable game software and portable game accessories categories, which saw respective dollar sales increases of 88 percent, 19 percent and 36 percent when compared to 2005.

Including PC games, total industry software sales were up 6 percent to $7.4 billion, from $7.0 billion in 2005.

“It’s refreshing to see an increase in retail sales of PC games after having experienced a few years of declines,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “With revenues from digital downloads and subscriptions on the rise as well, the pc games segment of the industry remains healthy.”

 

[jetjevons]

Kaching!

 

[Odysseus]

that's a shame

 

[sonycowboy]

2006 Combined Top10 Video Game Titles, Sorted By Units
Rank Title Platforms Publisher
1 Madden NFL 07* 360,Wii,PS3,PSP,NDS, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA Electronic Arts
2 Cars 360,Wii,PSP,NDS, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA THQ
3 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy 360,PSP,NDS, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA LucasArts
4 NCAA Football 07 360,PSP,XBX,PS2 Electronic Arts
5 New Super Mario Brothers NDS Nintendo
6 Need for Speed: Most Wanted 360,PSP,NDS, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA Electronic Arts
7 Gears of War** 360 Microsoft
8 Call Of Duty 3 360,Wii, PS3, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA Activision
9 Lego Star Wars XBX, PS2,GCN,GBA LucasArts
10 Fight Night Round 3 360,PS3,PSP,XBX,PS2 Electronic Arts

*Includes Hall of Fame Edition
**Includes Collector's Edition

Source: The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service

2006 Top10 PC Game Titles, Sorted By Units
Rank Item Publisher Release Date
1 World Of Warcraft* Vivendi 4-Nov
2 The Sims 2 Electronic Arts 4-Sep
3 The Sims 2 Open For Business Expansion Pack Electronic Arts 6-Mar
4 Star Wars: Empire At War LucasArts 6-Feb
5 The Sims 2 Pets Expansion Pack Electronic Arts 6-Oct
6 Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion* Take II Interactive 6-Mar
7 MS Age Of Empires III* Microsoft 5-Oct
8 The Sims 2 Family Fun Stuff Expansion Pack Electronic Arts 6-Apr
9 Civilization IV Take II Interactive 5-Oct
10 The Sims 2 Nightlife Expansion Pack Electronic Arts 5-Sep

*Includes Collector's Edition

Source: The NPD Group / Retail Tracking Service

 

[Kabouter]

PC games aren't video games, confirmed
So should we just move PC game discussion into the OT on this video game discussion board or what?

Ontopic:
Civilization IV, yes, fantastic news.
GOTY of 2005 by a freakin' MILE.
Also nice to see EA's still making a bundle off The Sims 2 :lol

 

[soul creator]

wait, I thought the industry was about to crash soon?

 

[Kabouter]

wait, I thought the industry was about to crash soon?

The Wii saved it.

 

[soul creator]

The Wii saved it.

true, true.

 

[GhaleonEB]

2006 Combined Top10 Video Game Titles, Sorted By Units
Rank Title Platforms Publisher
1 Madden NFL 07* 360,Wii,PS3,PSP,NDS, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA Electronic Arts
2 Cars 360,Wii,PSP,NDS, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA THQ
3 Lego Star Wars II: The Original Trilogy 360,PSP,NDS, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA LucasArts
4 NCAA Football 07 360,PSP,XBX,PS2 Electronic Arts
5 New Super Mario Brothers NDS Nintendo
6 Need for Speed: Most Wanted 360,PSP,NDS, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA Electronic Arts
7 Gears of War** 360 Microsoft
8 Call Of Duty 3 360,Wii, PS3, XBX,PS2,GCN,GBA Activision
9 Lego Star Wars XBX, PS2,GCN,GBA LucasArts
10 Fight Night Round 3 360,PS3,PSP,XBX,PS2 Electronic Arts

Only two games to make the top 10 released on one platform.

 

[Odysseus]

The Wii saved it.

not in 2006 since npd didn't account for mom & pop stores or wiis in transit

and gahiggidy's relatives still haven't been contacted

 

[Odysseus]

Only two games to make the top 10 released on one platform.

further proof everything* should be multiplatform



*this includes first party games

 

[soul creator]

Only two games to make the top 10 released on one platform.

indirect AlteredBeast vindication confirmed!

 

[pooteeweet]

That doesn't include WalMart

 

[Square2005]

sc, have you kept track/do you have annual PC-gaming sales for, say, the past decade?
It has shrunk considerably during that time, right?

 

[GaimeGuy]

of course it beat the record; all the main competitors have released their next-gen systems. Two of the three systems have the two most expensive prices out of any system released by any of the big 4 companies in the US (That is, ones that have had successful consoles ain the US; Nintendo, Sony, Sega, and MS). And the other system that was released is the most expensive one in MSRP ever released by its maker (Nintendo, with the Wii).

Not to mention the fact that there are two handhelds selling well that cost more than the traditional $99 price, and games on both handhelds and consoles have higher MSRPs than they did in 2002.

 

[Fio]

wait, I thought the industry was about to crash soon?

If you put inflation on the context and the growth of the console prices maybe the 2002 record still unbeatable in number of units.

 

[Link316]

the industry is shrinking</iwata>

 

[UncleGuito]

PC games aren't video games, confirmed
So should we just move PC game discussion into the OT on this video game discussion board or what?

Ontopic:
Civilization IV, yes, fantastic news.
GOTY of 2005 by a freakin' MILE.
Also nice to see EA's still making a bundle off The Sims 2 :lol

You aren't a real gamer unless you play at least SOME PC games.

 

[Odysseus]

You aren't a real gamer unless you play at least SOME PC games.

i've played games that have later been ported to pc, making them pc games

real gamer status confirmed

what a relief

 

[Haunted]

Retail sales in the PC game software industry showed signs of growth, with revenues up one percent, exceeding $970 million in 2006, bringing the total console, portable and PC game industry close to $13.5 billion, an 18 percent increase over the previous year, and a 15% increase over the previous record achieved in 2002.
”

So PC software is at roughly 1 billion, while portable+console is 6.4 billion? wow, I didn't know the US embraced console and handheld gaming so completely.

I know that it's different here in Europe, but seeing numbers like this I kinda doubt that the PC division can be bigger than the consoles.

Spoiler

in before Borys?

 

[UncleGuito]

i've played games that have later been ported to pc, making them pc games

real gamer status confirmed

what a relief

What games were these? My guess is that they sucked really bad- play PC games that were actually MADE for the PC.

 

[Odysseus]

What games were these? My guess is that they sucked really bad- play PC games that were actually MADE for the PC.

oh heavens no

terrible interface

 

[Fuzzy]

Looking at the top 10 PC games it seems there's only The Sims 2 to play.

 

[UncleGuito]

Looking at the top 10 PC games it seems there's only The Sims 2 to play.

 

[Jokeropia]

the industry is shrinking</iwata>

Actually, he said "in Japan, the gaming market is shrinking" and it was completely true until the DS saved it.

 

[Firestorm]

How much of that Top 10 PC game list saw a 2006 release and not 2005 or 2004? >.>

 

[Red Blaster]

Jokeropia is on my ignore list yet I've got a funny feeling that he said something about the DS or Wii saving Japan.

 

[Adam Blade]

I call shenanigans. It should be at least $15B factoring in Mom 'n Pops.

Edit: ARGH ODYSSEUS.

 

[methane47]

not in 2006 since npd didn't account for mom & pop stores or wiis in transit

and gahiggidy's relatives still haven't been contacted

:lol :lol
come on dude... you have to give a dude warning before you use that. :lol

And Wow at PC game sales.. I'm really happy that sales went up... PC gaming is SAVEDddd

 

[rs7k]

The industry is definitely growing fast... Good for publishers trying to recoup R&D costs...

As mentioned above by someone else, multiplatform is the way to go

 

[Zynx]

Multi-platform games do have the most sales, and most revenue. But sales numbers, or even revenue isn't the whole story when it comes to profits. There's also the actual margins on the thing. Exclusive titles usually get better margins due to more favorable license rates, and first party games can have the entire cake - they don't need to pay licensing fees to anyone. So if you approximate a 20% retail cut and 20% as the platform holder license fee, a first party game actually makes one third more profits than a third party one that has the same amount of revenue. (I.E. 80% in pocket vs 60% in pocket.)

 

[Jokeropia]

Jokeropia is on my ignore list yet I've got a funny feeling that he said something about the DS or Wii saving Japan.

That's really funny, because I believe this is the first time I've ever said something like that, and I only did it in response to an uninformed troll.

 

[Borys]

Wow @ the amount of Sims crap on the PC list.

 

[Kabouter]

How much of that Top 10 PC game list saw a 2006 release and not 2005 or 2004? >.>

Little
PC games have an insane shelf life compared to console titles.

 

[ToxicAdam]

sc, have you kept track/do you have annual PC-gaming sales for, say, the past decade?
It has shrunk considerably during that time, right?

The peak for retail sales was 1999 (1.9 billion). Since then it has been a steady downward trend.


Last year, NPD released a statement saying that they (est) .4 -.5 Billion of sales online. So, that puts PC games total in the range of 1.4 Billion in sales. I would assume this year to be even more.

So even though retail has fallen considerably, some of that money is going through different avenues.


Here is an excellent compilation right here....

http://forum.pcvsconsole.com/viewthread.php?tid=15831

 

[Razoric]

"The console wars are over" - Lapsed Gamer :lol