ELSPA release record-busting sales figures
2005’s booming sales belie ‘fallow year’
Annual performance figures released by ELSPA today show that 2005 has been the best year ever, at least in terms of sales, for the UK interactive entertainment industry, with record sales of interactive entertainment software across all formats totalling £1.35 billion - an increase of 0.7% per cent over 2004's previous record figures.
Although 2005 was supposedly a ‘transition year’ for the industry - the traditionally fallow period before the launch of next-generation hardware – there was certainly no traditional slowing down in software sales.
Clearly the launch of two handheld consoles, the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP, alongside the late 2005 launch of the hard-to-find Xbox 360 have made substantial contributions in 2005, helping to keep the market buoyant.
Roger Bennett, director general of ELSPA, said: "We are now starting to see a trend in the market where software sales continue to rise even during the cycle before the introduction of exciting new technologies, with software publishers fully exploiting the tried and tested current hardware platforms. It is a testament to the strategic marketing initiatives of the entire industry that, despite being a transition year between current and next-generation hardware, our industry has still continued to gain momentum."
Mr. Bennett, who is to resign from his current post this coming July, could not really have asked for a better send off – to be leaving the industry after two record-busting years of game sales.
Mr. Bennett went on to add: "The leisure software market is a UK success story in terms of economy, innovation and creativity; this we have seen demonstrated throughout 2005, and we look forward to a colossal year in 2006 with the launch of further major interactive entertainment hardware platforms."
The top ten hits of 2005:
Although 2005 was supposedly a ‘transition year’ for the industry - the traditionally fallow period before the launch of next-generation hardware – there was certainly no traditional slowing down in software sales.
Clearly the launch of two handheld consoles, the Nintendo DS and the Sony PSP, alongside the late 2005 launch of the hard-to-find Xbox 360 have made substantial contributions in 2005, helping to keep the market buoyant.
Roger Bennett, director general of ELSPA, said: "We are now starting to see a trend in the market where software sales continue to rise even during the cycle before the introduction of exciting new technologies, with software publishers fully exploiting the tried and tested current hardware platforms. It is a testament to the strategic marketing initiatives of the entire industry that, despite being a transition year between current and next-generation hardware, our industry has still continued to gain momentum."
Mr. Bennett, who is to resign from his current post this coming July, could not really have asked for a better send off – to be leaving the industry after two record-busting years of game sales.
Mr. Bennett went on to add: "The leisure software market is a UK success story in terms of economy, innovation and creativity; this we have seen demonstrated throughout 2005, and we look forward to a colossal year in 2006 with the launch of further major interactive entertainment hardware platforms."
The top ten hits of 2005:
| Pos | Title | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | FIFA 06 | EA Sports |
| 2 | Pro Evolution Soccer 5 | Konami |
| 3 | Need for Speed: Most Wanted | EA Games |
| 4 | Gran Turismo 4 | Sony Computer Entertainment |
| 5 | Star Wars EP III: Revenge of the Sith | LucasArts |
| 6 | FIFA Street | EA Sports |
| 7 | Star Wars: Battlefront II | LucasArts |
| 8 | Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas | Rockstar |
| 9 | King Kong: Official Game of the Movie | Ubisoft |
| 10 | The Sims 2 | EA Games |
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