SEGA: PC Digital Distribution Has Not Overtaken Retail

Is the PC games industry heading towards a digital distribution-only future? Sega's UK MD, John Clark, doesn't think so - he has recently told MCV that download sales represent a fraction of the total market.

"There are many figures from analysts saying that digital has overtaken packaged goods, but given that this includes casual games which I’m not looking at here, I’d say 15 per cent is a closer benchmark – rising steadily to 30 per cent in four years," Clark explained.

"In 2009, nearly 75m boxes were sold in the UK. The PC share of this was less than 10 per cent – and not growing. The digital share is at maximum 15 per cent and probably closer to 10 per cent in the UK. Steam operates just in this area with many other partners and new ones arriving each week."

Clark's comments come as retail were reportedly worried about the growing dominance of Valve's digital distribution network Steam on home computers. It echoes similar thoughts from Sports Interactive director Miles Jacobson, who recently told SPOnG that worries of a digital-only future were overblown.