UK spending on video games plummeted by 29.4 percent during the first half of this year, while music and video sales grew.
Physical game sales fell by 40 percent to £111.7m compared to the first six months of 2023, while digital download sales fell 23 percent to £236.9m.
The numbers, reported by the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA), reflect a “soft new release schedule”, according to its latest report.
“It was a tough first half for the games business with a lack of heavy-hitting releases, but we are optimistic for a strong second half, the traditional time for blockbuster releases,” ERA boss Kim Bayley said.
The first half of 2023 notably included the launch of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for Nintendo Switch. Compare that to the first six months of this year, and there’s nothing of quite the same scale. Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth for PlayStation 5 was perhaps the most notable launch, though sales haven’t matched its predecessor.