Console-software revenue totalled around €321 million from January through July 2007. PC games generated approximately €342 million during the same period, according to media control’s monthly retail panel.
The difference between the two segments had been almost €70 million during the same period a year earlier. Console-software revenue grew by around 26.9 percent year on year, compared with 5.7 percent growth for PC games. The figures reflected the increasing role of consoles and computers as entertainment platforms.
Genre preferences differed between console and PC players. Console users most often bought arcade and sports titles, while strategy and role-playing games led on PC. The World of Warcraft series and Command & Conquer sequels were among the most popular PC releases. Titles such as Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training were steadily increasing the share of puzzle games on consoles, particularly Nintendo DS, bringing them close to shooters. The same shift was not visible in PC software.
Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation Portable software recorded some of the largest increases in unit sales. Nintendo DS software more than tripled year on year to around 2.9 million units and represented approximately 30.3 percent of total unit sales during the current year. PSP software reached almost 700,000 units, 250,000 more than a year earlier. PlayStation 2 remained the market leader with about 3.7 million titles sold.
