Angry Birds drives 10 per cent of UK gaming volume in Q1

Data from the new research initiative GameTrack indicates that Angry Birds accounted for 10 per cent of gaming volume in the UK in Q1 2012.

Rovio's blockbuster IP was the most acquired brand in the UK gaming market in the first quarter, ahead of Call of Duty, FIFA, Mario and Draw Something. Despite only taking two of the top five most popular brands, apps accounted for around half of total game acquisitions in the UK during the quarter.

GameTrack's data indicates that 37 per cent of UK residents aged 6 and over play games on any device, which equates to around 21 million people.

Packaged games are still the most popular form of gaming, with around 26 per cent of the country playing them - apps are played by 14 per cent of the population, and online games by 18 per cent.

"Packaged game sales drove the vast majority of value for the quarter, with pre-owned disc sales accounting for 16 per cent of total revenue"

Packaged game sales also drove the vast majority of value for the quarter, with pre-owned disc sales accounting for 16 per cent of total revenue.

The most consistent gamers in the UK are aged between 6 and 10; around 83 per cent of that demographic play either packaged games, online games or apps every week. It is also the most converged demographic, with 31 per cent playing all three on a weekly basis. This is more than twice the proportion of both French (14 per cent) and German (11 per cent) gamers from the same demographic.

GameTrack is run by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE), in association with the market research firm, IPSOS. The aim is to catalogue a full picture of the gaming market, including apps, packaged and online games across all devices, whether free, paid, paid extras, pre-owned or rental.

A mixture of 6700 face-to-face and online interviews are carried out in each territory every quarter, and then assembled into a quarterly report. The data covers the gaming population aged 6 and above, and describes player behaviour, market value, and sales volume.

GameTrack is already conducting surveys in the UK, France, Germany and Spain, and it has plans to expand into new territories as more companies sign up for its data. Existing subscribers include EA, Sony, Namco Bandai, Take-Two, Disney, Microsoft and Activision.