New NPD Group research shows that digital gaming is still a growing business.
According to the 2013 Games Market Dynamics: U.S. report from The NPD Group, in addition to the $769 million spent in the U.S. by consumers on new physical video and PC game software during the second quarter (April - June) of 2013 (Q2’13), the total consumer spend on other physical forms of content (used and rental) reached $343 million. Content in digital format (full game and add-on content downloads, subscriptions, mobile games and social network games) generated $1.77 billion.
That means the total consumer content spend totaled $2.88 billion, representing a decline of 3 percent when compared to the $2.97 billion spent in Q2’12. When adding spending from accessories, hardware, and total content, spending decreased 9 percent, due almost entirely to hardware declines as consumers anticipate the new consoles set to launch this fall.
“The decrease in new physical spending is partly due to the decline in the number of new SKU’s released at retail, (with 37% fewer new SKUs in Q2’13 compared to Q2’12) which is to be expected as developers, publishers and consumers alike prepare for the next hardware generation,” said Liam Callahan, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “Increases in digital format spending offset nearly all the losses from the declines in physical format spending, with digital full game downloads and downloadable content spending experiencing a combined 27 percent increase (when compared to Q2’12). Spending increases occurred across both video games and PC games in the digital format.”
The estimates are published in NPD’s report, Games Market Dynamics: U.S. –released by The NPD Group in August 2013 - and are derived leveraging NPD’s portfolio of physical POS tracking (Retail Tracking Service) and consumer research including the Games Acquisition Monitor, Video Game and PC Game Subscriptions Report and Consumer Tracking Service. It also incorporates consumer spend estimation provided by NPD retail and publisher partners, and calibration with third-party sources.
