NPD: Digital, Non-Traditional Business Almost Half Of Retail Game Sales Last Quarter

Consumers spent $3.33 billion on games outside of retail (e.g. digital downloads, social/mobile games) in the U.S. and key European markets during the fourth quarter of 2011, the NPD Group reports. $2.04 billion of that was spent in the U.S. alone — equaling almost half the $4.5 billion amount NPD reported for total packaged software sales at retail (including titles for home consoles, handhelds, and PC) in the States during the October to December 2011 period.

This is the first paragraph of an article found on Gamasutra. It contains some interesting insights that fit the consumer and business insights focus of our blog. The article continues….

The non-retail category includes full-game downloads and downloadable content purchases, as well as a variety of other channels: used games, game rentals, subscriptions, social network games, downloadable content, and mobile games.

In the previous quarter, U.S. consumers actually spent more on non-retail games, $1.64 billion, compared to the $1.3 billion they spent on new games at stores during the July to September months.

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Read full article on Gamasutra