PS4 and Xbox One account for two thirds of physical games market

Sales of brand new PS3 and Xbox 360 games have dropped year-on-year as the latest generation of consoles see a greater number of exclusive releases.

PS4 and Xbox One comprised two thirds of the mint boxed games market for the 12 weeks ending September 27th, according to retail tracker Kantar Worldpanel – a growth of a fifth from their 55 per cent share the same time last year.

Xbox One is driving the increase in these sales,” Fiona Keenan, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel, told MCV.

It has increased its share from 21 per cent to 30 per cent this year, compared with PlayStation 4’s increase from 34 per cent to 37 per cent.

The jump is down to Xbox broadening its game repertoire. Last year it focused on big-name titles like Destiny and FIFA 15, with the top five Xbox One games accounting for 71 per cent of all spend.

This year, the top five makes up exactly half of sales, with FIFA 16 surrounded by other successful titles such as F1 2015, Mad Max, Batman Arkham Knight and Metal Gear Solid V.”

Despite the growth of PS4 and Xbox One, the games market as a whole was down year-on-year over the last quarter, due to the launch of Destiny during the period in 2014.

However, Kantar estimates that, without the presence of Destiny last year, the sector would be up 14 per cent annually in 2015.