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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Comments

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by d20sapphire - January 28, 2009 at 10:20 am -0500

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

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by Mirrikat - January 28, 2009 at 10:44 am -0500

 "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.

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by E. Zachary Knight - January 28, 2009 at 11:03 am -0500

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

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by Yuuri - January 28, 2009 at 12:38 pm -0500

I'm thinking he means that E-10+ should be lumped in with the plain old E rated ones.


Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by Mirrikat - January 28, 2009 at 8:31 pm -0500

 Exaclty what i meant.

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by ZippyDSMlee - January 28, 2009 at 11:27 am -0500

 

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

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by E. Zachary Knight - January 28, 2009 at 11:35 am -0500

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

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by Wraith108 - January 28, 2009 at 12:19 pm -0500

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.

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by d20sapphire - January 28, 2009 at 3:46 pm -0500

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

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by Toltendo - January 28, 2009 at 1:48 pm -0500

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.

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by E. Zachary Knight - January 28, 2009 at 2:08 pm -0500

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

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by Bennett Beeny - January 28, 2009 at 2:18 pm -0500

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.

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by Toltendo - January 28, 2009 at 2:49 pm -0500

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.

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by nekusagi - January 28, 2009 at 3:15 pm -0500

So much for Jack's "most games sold are M rated" argument.

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $21 Billion in 2008
Submitted by hellfire7885 - January 28, 2009 at 3:43 pm -0500

SO, piracy is gravely hurting the industry how?

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $22 Billion in 2008
Submitted by ZippyDSMlee - January 28, 2009 at 7:34 pm -0500

 

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

Re: Game Biz Sales Topped $22 Billion in 2008
Submitted by TBoneTony - January 29, 2009 at 10:17 pm -0500

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.

GamePolitics ShoutBox

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