UK games market bounces back after slump

The UK video games market’s weekly value has bounced back from its mid-summer slump following the launch of Wii Sports Resort.

According to MCV calculations, based on Gfk-ChartTrack/ELSPA’s weekly reports, the market had tumbled week-on-week since June, with sales falling to 16.9 million for the week ending July 10th.

However, the launch of Wii Sports Resort caused a 16 per cent upturn in weekly sales, with market value reaching 18.6 million for the week ending July 25th. Unit sales hit 907,501.

This week’s sales figures shows the market held firm, with value down just two per cent to 18.3 million, while unit sales rose two per cent to 923,204.

Despite the good news, there’s just a handful of promising games planned for August, including Batman Arkham Asylum, Wolfenstein and Ashes Cricket 2009.

September promises more, with The Beatles Rock Band, Halo 3: ODST, Professor Layton And Pandora’s Box, Need For Speed Shift and Dirt 2.