Capcom: Games More Popular Than Music, Movies In UK

Resident Evil 5

Not only is gaming mainstream, it's also more popular than most of the uninitiated believe. In the UK, the numbers say gaming is even more popular than music, films, and...well, any other entertainment industry.

Thanks to a Capcom press release this morning (and posted at the MusicAlly blog), Capcom says Resident Evil 5 "outsold every item on the UK singles chart," and even managed to top the total sales to date of legendary band U2's new album...and it only took the weekend for this to happen. Said Capcom's Leo Tan on the subject:

"This is proof if any were needed that games are THE entertainment medium of choice in 2009. Thanks to its strong storyline, amazing graphics and compelling co-op play, Resident Evil 5 provides hundreds of hours of entertainment at a relatively low cost - and its this value for money that consumers are increasingly responding to."

We've already reported that RE5 has shipped four million copies worldwide, and this press release is entitled, "Game Dramatically Outsells Singles, Albums, Films - Games Now Most Popular Entertainment Medium." Analysts had predicted that game sales would eventually outstrip sales of music and movies in 2009, and RE5 has already made that prediction come true. In addition to the aforementioned stats, RE5 also "grossed more than the top 5 movies (COMBINED) in the UK" this past weekend, and to date, the acclaimed RE franchise has sold over 40 million copies worldwide.

Here in North America, we still love our movies and music, but the games industry has been topping both in terms of profit for quite a few years now. You can't really call this a "changing of the guard," as the "change" started back around the turn of the century. But hey, it probably comes as news to those who haven't played a game since Pac-Man, right?

Related Game(s): Resident Evil 5

3/19/2009 Ben Dutka

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