UK games market leaps 20 per cent to £3.48bn

The UK games market has risen dramatically year-on-year, as almost every industry category grew.

MCV’s annual valuation of the games market – this year conducted in collaboration with UKIE – shows that game sales were up 20 per cent over last year to 3.48bn.

This year’s figure includes books, magazines and pre-owned for the first time. But even without this data, the market still grew 16.9 per cent

Most sectors grew or were flat, while digital and mobile grew most significantly. There was growth in the boxed games sector, too, namely around accessories and consoles.

UKIE CEO Dr Jo Twist said: This snapshot shows that our sector is an economic and cultural powerhouse, and consumers choose to spend their money on not just software, but new hardware and digital content, experiences, and events, too.

We welcome more valuations like this to fill in the gaps in our data story, especially around digital sales. We need this kind of evidence to be robust so that we can tell our story with confidence, nationally and internationally.”

WHERE EVERY TENNER SPENT ON GAMES IN THE UK GOES…

Sales of boxed games continue to lead the way, accounting for 2.87 of every tenner spent. This was, of course, driven by the biggest selling game of 2013 in GTA V.

Led by the PS4 and Nintendo 3DS, console sales accounted for 1.80 of every 10 spent.

The popularity of Moshi Monsters saw the merchandise sector grow to 0.28 – a figure that also includes games events. Moshi Monsters toys were by far the most successful video game toy line, while Minecraft books generated over 2.5m alone.

Accessories was also up to 1.22, thanks to the success of points cards and interactive toys, such as Skylanders and Disney Infinity.