Console Gaming Surges in 2006
Not unexpected news really, what with two major console launches and all the associated bits and bobs required to make them cool. Still, good news for an industry that seems always on the verge of panic when it comes to maintaining interest and maintaining sales.
NPD Group, an industry analysis firm, has just released some encouraging numbers about the past year, and in particular the holiday season. At year-end, gaming revenues totaled $12.5 billion dollars, $3.7 billion of which came sliding into home during the mad consumer electronics rush of December. These numbers show an overall increase of about 19% over 2005 totals, and a lovely 27.8% boost during holiday shopping.
The largest jump in console software came, surprisingly to me, in the portable games market. The Nintendo DS and friends leapt $18.8 million in sales, easily outdoing the rest of the console field, which only managed a measly 0.5% gain.
Hardware-wise, 2006 saw a jump of 59% in sales to $1.6 billion, with most of the push coming from the launch of both the Wii and the PS3. December’s hardware tally crushed 2005 numbers with an increase of 131% ($1.1 billion).
The sale of PC platform software and online content was not included, meaning that these numbers are, in fact, an underestimate of the entire gaming industry’s strength.
Via | GameSpot
