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Boxed Sales Only 20% of PC Market
Latest report from the PC Gaming Alliance indicates that digital distribution is dominant.
Written by Andy Griffiths, 10 March 2010
The PC Gaming Alliance's (PCGA) latest report has concluded that boxed game sales only equate to 20% of all PC gaming purchases worldwide, confirming that digital is now clearly the primary method of distribution.
"The most notable trend in recent years has been the movement to digital distribution and payment for subscriptions, and the growing popularity with consumers of online games as a service," said PCGA president and Intel director, Randy Stude. "In 2009 we saw North America and Europe experience a rapid uptake in purchasing virtual items."
This shift is hardly surprising considering many high street vendors have abandoned the PC platform and online distributors are now adopting more aggressive pricing strategies. Consumer attitudes also appear to have changed with 70% of North American and European gamers indicating they have purchased a full game online in a survey carried out by the PCGA.
Most interestingly the PC games market grew by 3% last year according to the horizon report, indicating that our platform isn't declining but actually experiencing moderate growth. Not a huge increase but significant nonetheless.
The full Horizons report is only available to PCGA members, whose membership costs a minimum of $5,000 a year, but if you'd like a look at the website feel free to follow the link on the right.
The dramatic decrease of boxed game sales on the PC will inevitably lead to fewer copies being produced by publishers and more gamers turning to Direct2Drive, Steam and Metaboli for their new release needs.
Say goodbye to that flashy special edition boys and girls, it may not be on store shelves for much longer.
