UK games sales down 13% in 2009

The world’s top three global markets suffered a six per cent year-on-year overall drop in video games software unit sales in the three months to September (Q3).

According to data from Top Global Markets – the integrated monthly report from The NPD Group (US), GfK Chart-Track Limited (UK) and Enterbrain, Inc. (Japan) – the UK suffered the biggest decline.

Q3 unit sales in the region dropped a whopping 19 per cent year-on-year. That takes the UK’s year-to-date unit sales decline – compared to the combined periods of Q1, Q2 and Q3 last year – to 13 percent.

UK portable game software experienced a loss in unit sales of 34 percent, followed by console software with a decline of 12 percent.

The US saw a nine per cent decline year-on-year, as console software and portable game software experienced declines of eight per cent and 14 per cent, respectively. The US has suffered an annual eight per cent decline in sales in terms of year-to-date.

Japan bucked the trend, seeing Q3 year-on-year unit sales grow 15 per cent, up on the 20 per cent decline it experienced during the same period in 2008.

Console software and portable software saw positive unit growth in Japan, with respective increases of seven percent and 19 percent. However, year-to-date (YTD) sales for Japan’s software market experienced a nine percent decline.