Physical still dominant despite digital shift

The vast majority of console game sales still come from physical stores, new data reveals.

MCV has combined UKIE/GfK Chart-Track data with new figures from SuperData in an effort to show the split between the digital and physical market. And it shows that around 80 per cent of game sales are coming from the boxed market.

However, this is not an exact science. Both data sources utilise different methodologies and they also look over slightly different periods.

Chart-Track’s March chart, for instance, included sales up to March 26th, which means Bloodborne was only on sale for two days when the physical numbers were counted. This may explain why Bloodborne’s digital sales (which include all sales up until March 31st) are proportionally so high.

But it still provides an insight into the scale of the move between digital and physical. Big triple-A titles such as Battlefield Hardline are primarily bought in boxes, while the split is more even for digital-first titles, such as Minecraft (although it’s interesting to see how strong physical sales are for the hit kids IP).

This chart is possible thanks to SuperData’s UK digital console chart, which utilises insight provided from publishers and payment firms.

SuperData’s digital console chart for the UK is currently still in beta but we expect to have the charts on equal level with the traditional retail rankings by Q4 2015,” said SuperData CEO Joost van Dreunen. Our UK digital console rankings are compiled based on data we collect from payment service providers and participating developers. On a monthly basis, approximately 5.1 million UK gamers spend money on digital games across all platforms and devices.”