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Gaming enthusiasts by and large haven’t noticed that the industry as a whole has been contracting for the past few years with sales in Britain being on a downward slope for an incredible 59 consecutive months. Yes nearly 5 years of a slow and steady decline has really started to get people on the inside of the industry to panic.

In reality we all know why the industry is shrinking; the consoles got older and a reliance on few, key “safe” titles being used by publishers to ensure they are keeping profitable.

However GTA V has now changed that with the UK industry posting their first increase in sales with GTA V being responsible for a full 50% of all titles sold in September.

Along with the new consoles about to be released and some brand new IP it means that there is a renewed sense of optimism returning to the industry. Whether it will sustain its growth now very much depends on whether or not you as consumers reward the new IP’s and risks in the industry.

If not you better get happy with Call of Duty, Battlefield and FIFA being all you have for the next generation.

Last Updated: October 7, 2013

1.1
was reviewed on PC

19 Comments

  1. John's better judgement

    October 7, 2013 at 12:08

    I still want to see the numbers proving why buying games over Steam and other platforms are similarly priced (sometimes being more expensive even) than hard-copy games.

    Reply

    • Admiral Chief of Rivia

      October 7, 2013 at 12:16

      Yeah, that’s something to note

      Reply

    • NecroRince

      October 7, 2013 at 12:47

      Agreed. When I first got my Kindle there was a similar issue with electronic books. I was told it has something to do with licencing or something…

      Reply

      • John's better judgement

        October 7, 2013 at 12:51

        I thought it’s fine for Steam’s maintenance and R&D, but I hate finding a game 100 bucks cheaper (or more) in a physical store. Saw Skyrim this weekend at BT for 150. It’s still 300 on Steam. 300 at BT for the legendary edition, 400 on Steam.

        Reply

        • Alex Hicks

          October 7, 2013 at 13:08

          Yes – but you have to know when to buy. 75% damn it. 75%. I picked up 3 AAA’s last sale for under 300. That’s why Steam wins.

          As for the initial price point – the free market model gives you that answer. If you can sell enough at X+ you price it at X+. Why would I only price at X if I can sell enough at X+?

          Steam’s costs are limited to infrastructure maintenance and licencing. They have local mirrors which are paid for by the local companies, MWEB being a prime example. This is because the platform is so prevalent. Physical stores have rental and distribution costs to deal with. That’s why you get sales – limited shelf space. That’s a business decision. Steam doesn’t have shelf space issues – they can keep the price as high as they want for as long as they want. Their sales are simply to boost numbers and hamstring the competition.

          oh, and btw Origin and the like have bandwidth costs to consider too – that’s the price you pay for coming to the party late. They counteract this by making games Origin exclusive.

          Reply

          • John's better judgement

            October 7, 2013 at 13:15

            Oh yes. All true. I live for Steam sales.

        • NecroRince

          October 7, 2013 at 13:47

          Steam, it’s all hot air I tell ya… BOOM!

          Reply

      • Alien Emperor Trevor

        October 7, 2013 at 12:54

        I’ve seen Kindle books selling for more than their paperback versions on Amazon’s website. It makes me confused.

        They make much higher margins on digital media & they try to increase that by pricing them as close to the physical versions as they can get away with. Then if it gets questioned that’s when they whip out the BS excuses & “value” arguments.

        Reply

        • NecroRince

          October 7, 2013 at 12:56

          Actually, I think Apple was nailed for price fixing along with MS or something. Forget the name but there was a huge scandal around the prices.

          Reply

          • Alien Emperor Trevor

            October 7, 2013 at 13:09

            Apple & practically all the big publishers colluded to change their pricing model to stick it to Amazon. Thankfully they got caught & fined. If anyone actually lost their jobs over it then I would be far happier, but as far as I know no one has.

          • NecroRince

            October 7, 2013 at 13:47

            Yeah, that’s the one. They all got a nice clap on the wrist. Bstds

          • John's better judgement

            October 7, 2013 at 13:15

            Apple. Pfff. Damn hipsters.

          • NecroRince

            October 7, 2013 at 14:32

            Agreed!

    • UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy

      October 7, 2013 at 15:46

      Well… Let say you manufacture a hardcopy.

      Needed:
      – Factory
      – Cheap labor
      – Shops that will sell your stuff

      Online copy.

      Needed:
      – Servers running 24/7 able to handle the load
      – maintenance cost
      – admins for all those services

      So I think they MIGHT have a point, but in the end I really do think we will be moving to total digital over the next few decades.

      Reply

      • John's better judgement

        October 8, 2013 at 08:10

        Don’t forget storage, duties and transport.

        I’m all for going full digital, as long as my uncapped ISP will stop throttling me. BUT sometimes it’s really great to have a special edition of a game with all the little kakkies that you’ll never use but like to look at.

        Reply

        • UltimateNinjaPandaDudeGuy

          October 8, 2013 at 08:45

          I think mostly the whole hardcopy industry is very streamlined already. Meaning that let’s say this year you ship it for $1 per item then next year some guy undercuts to 80cents and then before you know it the whole industry is trying to undercut etc… Think when it comes to hosting it is just more expensive, but in the end digital should be cheaper if you ask me.

          I bought the Diablo 3 Collectors and will buy the exp collectors too. All those extras are pretty damn cool. Soundtrack <3

          Reply

  2. TiMsTeR1033

    October 7, 2013 at 12:34

    Ah our trusty Gta V has saved the day! Well done Rockstar! Now just bring out Red dead redemption 2 on next gen and Gta v on next gen aswell and gaming industry will grow yet again!

    Reply

    • Marc O Polo

      October 8, 2013 at 07:17

      i’m holding out for the price of the PS4 to drop before buying next gen, but if they announced a Red Dead for next gen i reckon that would change, still 1 of my fav games!

      Reply

  3. Brian Murphy

    October 7, 2013 at 15:55

    Additionally, according to a Jon Peddie research report, there’s also been an uptick in high-end GPU sales as well, so the entire market appears to be in a healthier state moving forward. Consoles and PC woot. Good news all around.

    Reply

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