The game industry of the United Kingdom was estimated at £5.1 billion at the end of 2017. The annual growth was 12.4%, and the sales of consoles and gaming PCs became the driver of the industry. This is stated in the report of the British Association of video game developers Ukie.
Gaming equipment sales in the UK in 2017:consoles £659 million (+29.9% compared to last year);
- Gaming PCs and Accessories £376 million (+51%);
- VR Headsets £101 million (+23.5%);
- accessories and peripherals £269 million (- 1.4%).
According to Dorian Bloch, head of the GfK analytical company, the launch of Nintendo Switch, along with strong sales of PlayStation 4 and the new Xbox One family (models S and X), provided the console segment with growth for the first time since 2014.
Analysts explain the rise in sales of PC gaming hardware both by the popularity of the multiplayer shooter PLAYERSUNKNOW’S BATTLEGROUNDS and other competitive games, and by the activity of cryptocurrency miners buying up powerful video cards.
Gaming sales in the UK in 2017:digital and online game sales £1.6bn (+13.4%);
- mobile games £1.07 billion (+7.8%);
- gaming retail £790 million (+3.1%);
- the secondary gaming market is £101 million (- 15%).
According to the researchers, the surge in sales of physical copies is associated with the release of Nintendo Switch. The decline in the volume of the secondary gaming market is explained by the ongoing and increasing transition to digital.
UK gaming market in 2017, UkieAlso on the topic: