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 Sales figures related to gaming has been up in the UK in the first three months of 2007 as retailers and publishers have raked in a total of US$ 59 million more in total revenues compared from last year.
The rise in figures in the first quarter was credited to the launch of the Sony PlayStation 3 which saw the sale of 165,000 units across PAL territories. That, combined with good sales from its launch titles and good Xbox 360 game sales. Gamasutra says 2007 may very well be the best initial financial quarter in three years, with Q1 2005 being the only rival with its strong performance driven by the DS launch.
The good PS2 game sales is another factor being pointed out for the rise. The chart-topping performance of Square Enix's Final Fantasy XII is a significant contribution, with revenues expected to flow well into the second quarter with upcoming biggies God of War 2 and SOCOM US Navy SEALS Combined Assault looming large. DS games are still solid as they continuously give buyers good value and quality.
The average game price also rose from about US$ 40 to US$ 52, with next-gen games leading the charge in the mark-up. The figure is comparable to the uptrend set by Grand Theft Auto San Andreas in 2004 when the average jumped to almost US$ 53.
These are the rough sales figures in the initial quarters of the past three years in the UK:
2007: UKŁ 310 million (US$ 612 million)
2006: UKŁ 275 million (US$ 543 million)
2005: UKŁ 290 million (US$ 573 million)
2004: UKŁ 260 million (US$ 514 million)
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