Games Outsell Movies In 2008, Sales Rise 20% To $32 Billion
See Full ImageWe've all known for a while that video games and movies have been going in two very different directions, and the recent 2008 sales statistics prove that one industry is most certainly on the upswing while the other...well...
According to GamesIndustry.biz, retail sales of video games topped those of DVD and Blu-Ray for the very first time in 2008, and overall sales of "packaged media" rose 6% worldwide to hit a grand total of $61 billion. These numbers come courtesy of Media Control GfK International, and for our industry, they're encouraging: game sales grew 20% last year to $32 billion, and in stark contrast, the combined sales of DVD and Blu-Ray fell 6%, to $29 billion. GfK takes the next step and expects games "to represent 57% of packaged media sales" over the next year, which would be up from 53% in 2008 and 47% in 2007. Overall sales are expected to rise 12% to $36 billion this year, and this growth stands out against the decline of DVD and Blu-Ray sales, which are expected to fall another 4% in 2009. However, we would like to point out that the majority of this "falling" is done on the DVD side; Blu-Ray sales are up, and are expected to double to more than $2.9 billion this year. It's just that the overall sales and declining interest in Hollywood are causing the overall number to fall.
For the record, despite the 20% game growth, this is still a little under GfK's initial prediction, which was 22%. Not surprisingly, GfK U.S. president Amy Heller attributes this to the lagging economy, but with so many suffering industries right now, a 20% growth report really won't disappoint anyone.
1/26/2009 Ben Dutka
Put this on your webpage or blog:
Email this to a friend
Follow PSX Extreme on Twitter
Comments (37 posts)
Fatcat3788
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 6:12:11 PM
0 up, 0 down
Phoelix
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 11:19:21 AM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
Troy Powers
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 12:10:06 PM
Completely off topic: Those have to be the two happiest negroes I've ever seen in that picture! They look like they're playing a game where Barack Obama hunts down klansmen GTA style.
1 up, 0 down
coverton341
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 12:17:42 PM
0 up, 0 down
Aftab
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 1:09:27 PM
0 up, 0 down
Robochic
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 11:39:14 AM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
Orvisman
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 12:03:58 PM
The lack of reviews and previews must suck for all those newspapers that run reviews and all those magazines and websites dedicated to entertainment that cover movies.
There are a lot of blank pages and screens being viewed out there.
0 up, 0 down
Zorigo
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 11:43:50 AM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
Ultimadream
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 12:02:24 PM
Reply
Games nesscarrelly dont havemore replay value, some i do some i dont, i havent replayed dead space or either resistance games or gta 4 and DMC 4 after completing them. played msg4 a few times but now im getting a bit tired of the story, replayed uncharted tons of times until i got the platinum trophy.
The ammount of times i've watched The Shining or The Godfather Part II you'd think i'd got tired but i dont think i ever will.
0 up, 0 down
Troy Powers
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 12:13:19 PM
0 up, 0 down
Ben Dutka PSXE [Administrator]
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 12:25:57 PM
Not surprising, as the worst genre in literature is chick lit. Heh.
1 up, 0 down
Qubex
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 12:16:35 PM
Reply
There are those special films, from great film makers that will warrant attention... but it is dying... The classics will always be classics... and typically, in a year you will get about 5 movies or so worth watching... but mostly, soppy crappy stuff that means nothing.
Q!
"i aM hOme"
Last edited by Qubex on 1/26/2009 12:17:23 PM
0 up, 0 down
Ultimadream
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 12:22:54 PM
Reply
how many games do you get each year that "matter" you'll find its around the same rate.
0 up, 0 down
Bill_Clinton_
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 12:25:38 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
K ASH
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 12:33:31 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
GuernicaReborn
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 12:41:02 PM
I'd love to see a T.V. western, I think it could be done right. Plus, thats one genre that I'll always have a soft spot for.
Last edited by GuernicaReborn on 1/26/2009 12:42:19 PM
0 up, 0 down
karneli lll
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 2:04:18 PM
Digression aside, the story in games is also starting to lose some weight, soon we'll see the same story being told through different means. By then hollywood will be reduced to 20 minute long movies with 6+ hours of bonus content.
0 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 1:02:55 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
www
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 3:14:32 PM
Guess dis explains why we haven't heard from him since Adam,busy lying on hardwood floors playing games while Ben works his ass off.....lol!
Last edited by www on 1/26/2009 3:15:05 PM
0 up, 0 down
WorldEndsWithMe
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 3:30:05 PM
0 up, 0 down
karneli lll
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 2:10:46 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
BeezleDrop
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 4:14:40 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
BeezleDrop
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 4:21:17 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
Minishmaru
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 5:28:53 PM
Reply
P.S. I hope the new "Friday the 13th" does well along with "Underworld:Rise of the Lycans" Those are 2 i'm actually going to see...i haven't seen a new movie since...sometime before Xmas
0 up, 0 down
coverton341
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 6:02:06 PM
Reply
That is not to say it was the last I went to. I am fortunate enough to be in a position of having a bit of disposable income except around the end and beginning of the month and my fiancé and I only get to see each other on weekends so we watch a lot of movies in theatres and lemme be the first to say that the movies out now blow small farm animals. Like the Unborn. I wish I had the time and money that I spent on the tickets back. I would go out and buy a game that I really want to play that she would play with me but oh well such is life. Oh and The Unborn blew. Just wanted to say that again. From the first scene I was like "I paid for this?" and to top it off the theatre was full of 14-year old children.
0 up, 0 down
Minishmaru
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 @ 8:18:59 AM
0 up, 0 down
Kangasfwa
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 6:59:24 PM
Reply
0 up, 0 down
bamf
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 9:41:11 PM
Reply
0 up, 1 down
Ultimadream
Tuesday, January 27, 2009 @ 10:25:50 AM
Reply
0 up, 1 down
Deleted User []
Reply
Monday, January 26, 2009 @ 11:17:11 AM
I can see why tho. Just look at the titles and hardware we have to choose from. Its a great time to be in this hobby thats for sure.