Archive notice: This article was originally published on January 11, 2008. Links and embedded videos are preserved as part of the historical record.
The increase was 29.1 percent compared with 2006, media control reported. At that time, revenue stood at €429 million. “The market’s momentum remains unbroken. Console games are firmly established as a leisure medium,” said Ulrike Altig, Managing Director of media control.
The year’s software winner was the Nintendo DS: 5.1 million games were sold for the handheld, more than double the 2006 figure. With a 32 percent share of all software sales, the DS became number two in 2007. Software for the PlayStation 2 (PS2) remained in the lead with a 35 percent market share, although it lost 12 percent year on year. Sales of all PS2 titles fell from 5.9 million to 5.5 million units.
Among next-generation offerings, Nintendo’s Wii was ahead. Wii games accounted for 7.5 percent of software sales. Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3 reached 6.0 percent and 4.9 percent respectively over the same period.
The fourth quarter of 2007 stood out in particular. Software worth €239 million was sold in the final three months of 2007, compared with €112 million in the third quarter.
The best-selling title in 2007 was “Dr. Kawashima’s Brain Training.” Second place went to “Dr. Kawashima: More Brain Training.” “FIFA 08” for the PS2 ranked fifth in the final tally, followed by the most popular next-gen game, “Wii Play.”
PC games market declines
Computer-game software did not keep pace with the positive development in the console segment. Revenue in 2007 amounted to €267 million, a loss of 3.6 percent compared with the previous year. Sales volume fell by 7.6 percent to 11.9 million units.
