UK games sales fell 13 per cent in 2011
Monday, January 09, 2012 5:23 PM
UKIE has announced that the total sales for all UK games software and hardware fell by 13 per cent year-on-year in 2011.
In a news release detailing the sales decline, the body revealed that software sales of £1.42 billion in the UK were down seven per cent last year from 2010, though it maintained the boxed product market was still 'slightly ahead' of forecasts thanks to an exceptional final quarter.
In fact, the festive period was even more successful than normal, raking in a remarkable 51 per cent of annual profits. Eight out of the ten bestsellers in the gaming market were released in Q4 2011.
Unsurprisingly Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was crowned highest selling game of the year, smashing records and generating a whopping £83 million in week 45.
Interestingly, motion control devices accounted for an impressive 27 per cent of revenue for console accessory sales, confirming 2011 as the year of this particular gaming phenomenon.
Microsoft’s Kinect, Sony’s PlayStation Move and Nintendo’s MotionPlus devices increased the total motion-enabled software share from just 6.7 per cent in 2010 to 14.5 per cent in 2011.
The top-selling motion controlled software titles across these three formats in 2011 were Just Dance 3 for Wii, LittleBigPlanet 2 for PS3 and Forza Motorsport 4 for Xbox 360, UKIE disclosed.
UKIE chairman Andy Payne stated that 2011 "saw some remarkable achievements," again referencing the spectacular popularity of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.