UK Shows Record Game Sales, Xmas Hardware Decline

Thanks to Reuters for their story indicating that the UK videogame software market swelled to a new high of 1.26 billion UKP (2.29 billion USD) in 2003. The piece points out the increasing success of publisher Electronic Arts, "which notched up five of the top 10 selling titles, and the top four overall", and the original ELSPA press release notes that soccer title "FIFA 2004 was the overall [sales] winner." However, Gamesindustry.biz weighs in by revealing that "total [console hardware] units sold over the crucial Christmas period were down by over 10 per cent year on year", and pointing out that "the overall picture clearly indicates that hardware sales have peaked a year earlier than some analysts predicted - meaning the next two Christmases will be even more challenging for retailers, with discounted software likely to be rife as they battle for market share." The dominance of the PlayStation 2 at UK retail is supreme, though, as: "Over the crucial last four weeks, the PS2 outsold the Xbox by 2.69 to one, and the sixty-pounds-cheaper Cube by 4.81 to one."

Comments

suprising the ps2 outsold the cube by so much.

[jkcity]

I am really suprised by how much the ps2 has outsold the cube over them 4 weeks, I really thought the cube would be the best selling since its got some really good packages really cheap, then again nintendo would help there cause if they just released a pokemon game for the cube already, I know many people who would have bought one ages ago if they had.

BTW I do know that there is now a pokemon game in japan for the cube, but its a mystery why they did'nt want to release it here for christmas time since I can't imagine it needs much in translation.

Re:suprising the ps2 outsold the cube by so much.

[unclethursday]

Still, even though the GC sold the least of the three consoles, it was the only one in the UK to actually see an increase in sales over the previous year.

Xbox sales were -5% over last year, according to the article, and PS2 sales were nearly -33.3% over the same period last year, according ot the article. The GC sales were up almost 33.3% over last year.

Re:suprising the ps2 outsold the cube by so much.

[Anonymous Coward]

All that your post suggests is that you are able to ignore the actions of Japanese developers to a larger degree than the rest of us are. You may be happy playing only Western games, but lots of gamers around the world appreciate Japanese games far more.

After all, only someone who ignores Japanese-originated games could possibly state that "most" dual-platform games are PS2/Xbox only, or that the GameCube somehow has less exclusive support than the Xbox. Likewise, only such a person could possibly imply that quantity is the only lacking aspect of Microsoft's and Sony's first party efforts, compared to Nintendo's.

Finally, you show your naivete in the industry with your suggestion that it would somehow be smarter to release UK PAL versions of games ahead of non-UK PAL versions, simply due to limited translation costs. This would only cost more money to develop, particularly since this would suggest simultaneous development alongside the U.S. version, including simultaneous NTSC/PAL code development, localization (localisation?), play testing, appropriate ratings board approvals, packaging, and distribution. By shifting co-development responsibilities of the UK version from the formerly-unified PAL versions of games to the U.S. versions, you would only slow development of the U.S. versions, which are meant for a totally different market than those of both the UK itself and of Europe as a whole. This raises production costs for the publishers' European subsidiaries, since they would be maintaining 2 separate PAL releases where previously there was only one (Australian releases are managed completely separately).

Well we all know why the PS2 outsold

[xQuarkDS9x]

It's simple folks. It means those UK people must be even MORE unlucky then Americans with PS2's that break down every 6-12 months and need to be replaced.

Hardware sales were weaker, no doubt

[GreatDrok]

Odd that the GCN was so low, it is a bit of a self fullfilling prophecy though. When people came into the shop I work at without any idea what they wanted there was no problem guiding them to the system best suited to their needs - young kids would always be better off with the GCN; where the family all wanted to use it then the PS2 would be better and if a mature person wanted a machine then the Xbox would be ideal. However, the name recognition of Playstation also plays a big part in it, we would frequently get people in who had no idea what they wanted but it had to be a playstation. Its getting like people buying a hoover instead of a vacuum cleaner. I'm sure Sony loves that,

Well, duh!

[jarran]

Considering that sales in the UK over Christmas were poor all round it's hardly surprising. Why should we expect consoles to buck the trend?