Pan European Video Game Stats Draw Closer

The news that the Gfk Group has "acquired a further 46% shares within Chart-Track Limited in addition to the existing 9% shares it already held" is good if it means that we can all look forward to a more concerted and cohesive set of statistics for Europe.

According to Gfk one of the its main reasons for it to effectively buy Chart-Track is that the latter's, "...strong relationship with the industry associations ‘Entertainment and Leisure Software Publisher Association’ (ELSPA) and ‘Irish Recorded Music Association’ (IRMA), who together still own 45% of the shares in the company. Chart-Track ’s data is based on POS information directly delivered by the leading games, games software and music providers in the market."

Prior to July 1st - the date the deal became effective - Chart-Track (now GfK Chart-Track Limited) provided UK point of sale-based figures while Gfk looked towards Germany and other European countries using different metrics. The hope is that the newly conglomerated company will start to roll out a set of hardware and software sales statistics using the same methodology.

That might go some way to stopping platform holders chucking sometimes pointless and occasionally misleading figures at each other.