Chart-Track reports shrinkage of 29% in February UK market
But uncounted digital sales likely to make up some of the shortfall
UK retail tracker GfK Chart-Track has reported that the UK games market in February lost 29 per cent of its sales compared to the previous year. Those lost sales represent a 25 per cent drop in value.
A report from MCV highlights the figures, which show Final Fantasy XIII-2 to be the month's best performing game, followed by Konami's Metal Gear Solid collection.
However, Chart-Track's figures are still largely focused on boxed sales, with efforts to include digital retail thwarted somewhat by the closed systems of Microsoft, Nintendo, Sony, and Valve. How much of that shortfall is compensated by sales of DLC and downloaded titles remains a mystery.
The period covered is January 29 to February 25, which includes a week of Vita sales but few major releases. Overall, the body recorded 2,314,424 games sold during the month, resulting in revenues of £55 million.