ELSPA half-year results 2008

Monday 14th July 2008/... Video games are enjoying a golden era in popularity according to figures released today by ELSPA (the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers’ Association) and Chart-Track – the company that tracks games sales in the UK. Software sales for the first six months of 2008 are up on almost all games formats to a staggering revenue of £738 million (31.3m units sold) – an increase of over 42 per cent on 2007’s half-year figures. The first six months of 2008 show unprecedented software revenue growth thanks to just Wii, Xbox 360 & PS3, plus DS account for £690 million of the total. In stark contrast, PC games software suffered a hefty decline, with revenue of £48 million (3.9m units sold) – down 29 percent on last year’s £68 million.

Paul Jackson, Director General of ELSPA, said: "Games are now one of the most popular pastimes of the British – hence these remarkable figures. Our gamers are more mature than those of most countries – the average age of a player here is now 33 – and as our core gamers have grown up, so too have the revenues they bring in. Games are also proving themselves to be robustly recession-proof. Other retailers in the High Street have been struggling this year, but those selling games are not having such a tough time.

“Britain leads the way across Europe – and one in three games sold across the EU is also developed here. The challenge now is to ensure our success is not taken for granted at home or undervalued in any way – and to ensure we have the home-grown talent to ensure we will still be leading the way five years down the road.”

Revenue from console hardware over the first half of 2008 has seen overall growth in console revenue thanks to Wii & DS Lite. Revenue from console hardware was £513 million – up 27 percent on last year’s figure of £405 million. In terms of units shifted, 3.1 million – up 41 per cent on 2007’s 2.2 million.

Revenue from total games, hardware and accessories sold was a breathtaking £1,452 million (45.4 million units) – up 42 percent on last year’s no less impressive £1,022 million (34 million units).

Ends.

EDITOR NOTES:

About ELSPA - http://www.elspa.com

ELSPA (The Entertainment & Leisure Software Publishers Association) was founded in 1989 to establish a specific and collective identity for the computer and video games industry. Membership includes almost all companies concerned with the publishing and distribution of interactive leisure software in the UK.

For further information, please contact:

Laura West

BARRINGTON HARVEY

T: 01462 456780

F: 01462 456781