US sales of video games dived 23% to $863 mln in May 2009, NPD said, dipping below the $1 bln threshold for the first time since August 2007.
10.5 mln BluRay players in the US in Q1 2009
About 9 mln high-definition units sold in the US in Q1 2009, up from the 4.8 mln that sold during Q1 2008, according to Adams Media Research. There are now 10.5 mln Blu-ray households, encompassing owners of both Blu-ray set-tops and Blu-ray-enabled PlayStation 3s.
Game play among parents and non-parents
Do you ever use any of the following to play games whether or not you personally have one?
Parents | Non- Parents | |
Desktop or laptop | 45% | 35% |
Game console | 41 | 22 |
Cell phone, Blackberry, or other handheld organizer | 25 | 16 |
Portable gaming device | 21 | 10 |
Source: Pew Internet Project |
Videogame revenues to reach $41.9 bln in 2009
IbisWorld said videogame industry revenue is set to reach $41.9 bln in 2009, having risen from $27.2 bln in 2004, with over 37 mln consoles sold in the United States alone in 2008.
How often do people play games?
How often do you play games, whether on a computer, or online, or on a game console, or on some other device?
Everyday or almost everyday |
A few times a week |
A few times a month |
Less often | |
Total gamers | 21% | 28% | 27% | 20% |
Gamers ages 18-29 | 20 | 30 | 30 | 16 |
Gamers ages 30-49 | 20 | 26 | 25 | 24 |
Gamers ages 50-64 | 19 | 30 | 25 | 21 |
Gamers age 65+ | 36 | 28 | 17 | 14 |
Source: Pew Internet Project |
Demographics of Adult Gamers
The percentage of Americans in each demographic category who report playing games online or offline, using a computer, cell phone or any other kind of gaming device:
All adults | 53% |
Sex | |
Men | 55 |
Women | 50 |
Age | |
18-29 | 81 |
30-49 | 60 |
50-64 | 40 |
65+ | 23 |
Race | |
White, non-Hispanic | 51 |
Black, non-Hispanic | 51 |
Hispanic (English-speaking) | 63 |
Annual Household Income | |
Less than $30,000 | 52 |
$30,000 – $49,999 | 59 |
$50,000 – $74,999 | 62 |
$75,000 + | 56 |
Education | |
Less than HS | 40 |
HS grad | 51 |
Some college/College grad | 57 |
Locale | |
Urban | 56 |
Suburban | 53 |
Rural | 47 |
Source: Pew Internet Project |
Computer or Game Console?
Pew Internet Project surveyed US adults regarding their sage of PCs vs consoles to play games.
% of adults | % of gamers | |||
Age | Computer | Game console |
Computer | Game console |
Total adult population | 38% | 28% | 73% | 53% |
18-29 | 55 | 61 | 68 | 75 |
30-49 | 42 | 34 | 70 | 57 |
50-64 | 33 | 9 | 83 | 23 |
65+ | 19 | 2 | 81 | 10 |
Source: Pew Internet Project |
Console sales up 11% in February 2009
Video game hardware revenues climbed 11% to $532.7 mln in February 2009 from $481.4 mln in February 2008, according to NPD Group. Americans bought 753,000 units of Wii, the best-selling console. The handheld Nintendo DS, which sold 588,000 units, came in second. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 sold 391,000 units, up 53% from a year earlier, while Sony’s PlayStation 3 sold 276,000 units. Nintendo also had the best-selling game in February with its Wii Fit, an exercise game that sold 644,000 copies. Capcom USA’s Street Fighter IV took the number two and three spots with 446,000 copies for the Xbox and 403,000 for the Play Station 3. Overall software sales grew 9% to $733.5 mln from $673.3 mln.
Devices used for gaming among US adults
% of all adults |
% of adult gamers |
% of teen gamers |
|
Desktop or laptop computer | 38% | 73% | 76% |
Game console (Xbox, PlayStation, Wii, etc) | 28 | 53 | 89 |
Cell phone, Blackberry, or other handheld organizer | 18 | 35 | 50 |
Portable gaming device like PSP, DS, or Gameboy | 13 | 25 | 62 |
Source: Pew Internet Project |
Game hardware and software generated $22 bln in 2008
Computer and video game industry hardware, software and peripheral sales climbed to $22 bln in 2008, with entertainment software sales comprising $11.7 bln of that total figure, a 22.9% jump over 2007, Entertainment Software Association announced. The industry set the new record, calculated by market-research firm NPD Group, on the strength of December 2008 sales, when industry revenue ($5.3 bln) topped $5 bln for the first time in any single month. By comparison, as recently as 1997, the industry generated $5.1 bln over the entire year. In 2008, total US video game console software sales reached $8.9 bln (189.0 mln units), PC game sales hit $701.4 mln (29.1 mln units), and portable software topped 2007’s record sales with $2.1 bln (79.5 mln units) in revenue. Overall, retailers sold approximately 297.6 mln computer and video games 2007.