Game Biz Sales Topped $22 Billion in 2008
Game Biz Sales Topped $22 Billion in 2008
January 28, 2009
While recent studio closures and layoffs have shown that the video game industry is far from recession-proof, game publishers still managed to post record-breaking sales numbers for 2008.
According to a press release issued by the Entertainment Software Association this morning, video game hardware and software sales exceeded $22 billion last year. That figure represents a 23% increase over 2007.
Nearly $12 billion of total industry revenues came from game software sales. The industry finished the year strong, with December sales topping the $5 billion mark.
ESA boss Mike Gallagher commented on the impressive revenue figures:
Even in difficult economic times, the video game industry continues to support our country’s local, state and national economies with record-breaking sales figures and rapid technological innovation.
Our industry’s exceptional creators, artists, and storytellers, coupled with a commitment to providing unparalleled entertainment, have fueled high-octane growth, turning video games into the most sought-after medium on the market today.
The ESA also broke down sales by ESRB rating:
- E rating - 45.3%
- E10+ rating - 12.1%
- T rating - 26.7%
- M rating - 15.9%
The sales data included in the ESA press release was compiled by the NPD Group.
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GamePolitics ShoutBox
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:54pm
Valdearg: *sigh* I'm friends with some sad, sad people.. If they weren't such good drinking buddies.. Lmao.
Valdearg: *sigh* I'm friends with some sad, sad people.. If they weren't such good drinking buddies.. Lmao.
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:54pm
DarkSaber: Pssssh, the answer is Populous.
DarkSaber: Pssssh, the answer is Populous.
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:54pm
JDKJ: I'm still in the beavers. Any chance I get, I'm in the beavers. Nut-deep.
JDKJ: I'm still in the beavers. Any chance I get, I'm in the beavers. Nut-deep.
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:54pm
Valdearg: Seriously? I mean.. Couldn't they have picked a different topic to argue about?
Valdearg: Seriously? I mean.. Couldn't they have picked a different topic to argue about?
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:53pm
Valdearg: Wow. Two of my friends are arguing on my facebook about whether Age of Mythology or Black and White was the better God Game...
Valdearg: Wow. Two of my friends are arguing on my facebook about whether Age of Mythology or Black and White was the better God Game...
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:52pm
DarkSaber: I was having a shower. That time of the week again. Boys Brigade? Never heard of them, but I was in the Beavers.
DarkSaber: I was having a shower. That time of the week again. Boys Brigade? Never heard of them, but I was in the Beavers.
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:44pm
JDKJ: Your deafening silence says it all, Saber.
JDKJ: Your deafening silence says it all, Saber.
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:39pm
JDKJ: Be honest, Saber. You were in the Boys Brigade when you were a lad, weren't you?
JDKJ: Be honest, Saber. You were in the Boys Brigade when you were a lad, weren't you?
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:39pm
DarkSaber: Also, had Schrodinger been hanging about?
DarkSaber: Also, had Schrodinger been hanging about?
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:37pm
JDKJ: And did the mice then get to playing?
JDKJ: And did the mice then get to playing?
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:35pm
DarkSaber: ah, but was it also out of the bag?
DarkSaber: ah, but was it also out of the bag?
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:33pm
JDKJ: And didn't the cat have to be curious nine times before its curiosity got the better of it?
JDKJ: And didn't the cat have to be curious nine times before its curiosity got the better of it?
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:30pm
JDKJ: Keep it real, Saber. You know your Christmas Day wouldn't be complete if you didn't have a listen to the Queen's Speech.
JDKJ: Keep it real, Saber. You know your Christmas Day wouldn't be complete if you didn't have a listen to the Queen's Speech.
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:29pm
Andrew Eisen: "Curiosity killed the cat." Makes you wonder just what that cat was doing when that phrase was coined.
Andrew Eisen: "Curiosity killed the cat." Makes you wonder just what that cat was doing when that phrase was coined.
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:28pm
chadachada321: And to really bring this full circle...tradition would have "Under God" omitted from the pledge, because it was only added in 54
chadachada321: And to really bring this full circle...tradition would have "Under God" omitted from the pledge, because it was only added in 54
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:27pm
Valdearg: I never understood humanity's insistence on adhering to tradition. But hey, as long as there's no harm done, I don't really care, Lol.. Like you guys are saying, sometimes it's downright entertaining.
Valdearg: I never understood humanity's insistence on adhering to tradition. But hey, as long as there's no harm done, I don't really care, Lol.. Like you guys are saying, sometimes it's downright entertaining.
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:23pm
DarkSaber: I know, makes you wonder how a practical joke becomes a centuries old tradition. I doubt when it first happened people looked at each other said "We should do this EVERY year!"
DarkSaber: I know, makes you wonder how a practical joke becomes a centuries old tradition. I doubt when it first happened people looked at each other said "We should do this EVERY year!"
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:21pm
JDKJ: That thing where the Commons slam the door in Black Rob's face and make him bang on it before they'll open up always makes me laugh. Who comes up with this shit?
JDKJ: That thing where the Commons slam the door in Black Rob's face and make him bang on it before they'll open up always makes me laugh. Who comes up with this shit?
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:21pm
Valdearg: @DS: Nice... That's better than in America, where 40% of Americans still think he was a tool of Satan.. Ugh..
Valdearg: @DS: Nice... That's better than in America, where 40% of Americans still think he was a tool of Satan.. Ugh..
Posted 03/12/10 at 01:21pm
Andrew Eisen: Well nuts. My library is closed for several weeks for recarpeting.
Andrew Eisen: Well nuts. My library is closed for several weeks for recarpeting.
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Game Politics and Game Politics logo are trademarks of the ECA.
Comments
Congrats to the gaming industry! At least they're still making a profit, which is tough when video games are more of a luxury good than anything else. Woot!
www.20sidedwoman.blogspot.com
"M rating - 15.9%"
if you dont count E10+ (Which you shouldn't anyways) then M is one of the smallest catagory of games, and yet many people who advocate against video games would have parents belive that all games are evil and violent.
Why shouldn't you count E-10+? It counts for 12% of the games sold. I can understand not counting EC and AO as tehy have so little sales to make them truly insignificant, but not a rating that is actually used.
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
I'm thinking he means that E-10+ should be lumped in with the plain old E rated ones.
Exaclty what i meant.
If M+ is less than half why dose the indevendaul titles spend more on thier projects? 0_o
Gore,Violence,Sexauilty,Fear,Emotion these are but modes of transportation of story and thought, to take them from society you create a society of children and nannys, since adults are not required.
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com
Because the people who buy M rated games can't seem to drag their minds away from shiny graphics. To them, graphics and physics are all that matters in a game. Those two things cost a lot to develop to the level that the fans of M rated games want.
Of course if you added up the costs of developing all those E - T rated games, they would completely overshadow the costs of developing all the M rated games. Profits as well.
The Cost to Profit equation for M rated games is not very good. There is very limited opportunity of recouping the costs of making an M rated game compared to the equation for E - T rated games.
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
When I looked at the percentages I was a little surprised that T wasn't higher than E but then I guess that the likes of Madden is rated E (UK here) and they do pretty big numbers plus you probably get most movie tie ins there too.
It might also have something to do with the rise of people interested in the "casual" games. There a not a lot of those titles that aren't E as far as I'm aware.
www.20sidedwoman.blogspot.com
Another reason I see why 45.3% of all videogames sold have been E-rated, it sort of obvious that the parents bought a lot of bad games for their children.
Being E rated does not automatically make a game bad. There are tons of quality and fun E rated games.
Also being an M rated game does not automatically make a game good.
Also, What you find as a bad game does not equal what makes all games bad. People have differing opinions on games. Personally, I think FPS games are pretty terrible. That doesn't mean that all the millions of people who buy FPS games agree with me.
E. Zachary Knight
Oklahoma City Chapter of the ECA
http://www.theeca.com/chapters_oklahoma
Being E rated does not automatically make a game bad, but games that are rated E do tend to be bad anyway.
As for the argument that one person's opinion is subjective, so what? Everyone's opinion is subjective. But the fact that you disagree with the previous poster doesn't mean that most E rated games are good.
I didn't mean that all E-rated games are automatically bad, it's just the certain games that the parents will sometimes buy that are in bad taste in the eyes of a gamer who has more knowledge of video games. It could go for all other rated games, but in the situtation of a parent purchasing the friendly rated game for their child that are strict in ratings, that's my reasoning.
So much for Jack's "most games sold are M rated" argument.
SO, piracy is gravely hurting the industry how?
Meh looking at the over all nubmers..msot games are bad.... with a few qauilty ones thoughout all the levels...
Gore,Violence,Sexauilty,Fear,Emotion these are but modes of transportation of story and thought, to take them from society you create a society of children and nannys, since adults are not required.
http://zippydsmlee.wordpress.com
I see it as that every game in every rating from E, E10+, T and M17+ all have a deserved place on the store shelves...
Even back 10 years ago, E rated games for everyone were still selling well.