Games sales in Australia grew significantly in 2014, increasing by 20% on 2013 to a total of $2.46 billion, according to research released yesterday.
The reports, commissioned by the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA) and NPD Group Australia, found that sales were split almost evenly between traditional retail sales and digital sales.
Leading the charge were sales of console hardware, with the releases of Sony’s PS4, Microsoft’s Xbox One and Nintendo’s Wii U, driving a 47% increase on the previous year.
“The Australian video games industry is in great shape, led by next gen launches and growth in digital, according to our latest research,” IGEA’s CEO Ron Curry said. “Bricks and Mortar retailers have seen a boost in demand for the current generation consoles which in turn has lead to an increase in demand for new console software and accessories and items such as game cards. ”
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The research also found significant growth in the mobile games market, which grew 56% on 2013. A majority of this revenue came from games, with over 50% of this via in-app purchases.
While action games were the number one genre, one of the biggest sales increases for a single title was Minecraft, which more than doubled its sales from 2013. Watch Dogs and Destiny were the only new franchises to enter the Top 10 titles sold in 2014
IGEA plans to release further data later this year, looking at Australian gaming demographics in a broader sense, as well as “how Australians are consuming interactive games in conjunction with other digital technologies”.
