2009 UK sales numbers show single-format stats

As part of its announcement today talking about 2009’s down-but-not-disastrous UK software sales, ELSPA and GfK-CharTrack have revealed format-specific data.

Nintendo Wii ‘stormed the field’ with software sales of over 18 million units in the UK – meaning it is still number one software format in terms of units sold.

However, it was Microsoft’s Xbox 360 which saw the biggest increase in software revenue in 2009, up four per cent from 2008 to earn 459 million and become the number one software format by revenue, overtaking the Nintendo Wii.

Sony’s PlayStation 3, meanwhile, ‘also saw a dramatic increase’ – up by 14 per cent of software units sold, from 10.4 million units in 2008 to 11.9 million units in 2009.

In fact, ELSPA says ‘the Sony PlayStation 3 was the star console this year’ thanks to its hardware sales as it posted a two per cent increase of units sold compared to 2008. The Nintendo Wii still sold more units in 2009, however.

Overall, in 2009 UK consumers bought a total of 74.6 million videogame units (i.e. single software releases) – which works out at more than one per person in the UK.

6.7 videogame consoles were sold in the UK in 2009, which is one console for every nine people in the UK.

The total value of console/PC gaming peripherals was 630 million in 2009, with total sales reaching 35.8 million units.