Matt Martin 09:59 (BST)
07/01/2009

UK consumers spent GBP 4.034 billion on videogame product in 2008, according to data from ELSPA.

Total sales of videogame software was over GBP 1.905 billion during the year, a rise of 23 per cent over 2007, while console sales accounted for GBP 1.422 billion, up 14 per cent.

Revenue from peripherals increased 82 per cent, reaching sales of GBP 549 million.

Almost a quarter of all software sales were for Nintendo's Wii, with over 20 million games sold for the system in the UK, an increase of 153 per cent compared to the prior year. Revenue from Wii software sales rose 112 per cent, to GBP 481 million, compared to GBP 227 million in 2007.

DS software sales reached 19.1 million units, compared to 14.9 million in 2007, a growth of 28 per cent. Revenue from DS software increased 17 per cent, from GBP 314 million to GBP 481 million.

Sales of Xbox 360 software also climbed 51 per cent, with a total of 14.9 million units sold, compared to 9.8 million in 2007. Revenue was up 38 per cent, to GBP 443 million.

PlayStation 3 software generated GBP 334 million in software sales during 2008, as unit sales rose 145 per cent to 10.4 million.

"Videogaming is increasingly bringing families together with the introduction of so many outstanding family-based console titles,” said Michael Rawlinson, MD of ELSPA.

"These have really opened up the market to those who may never have even considered playing a videogame before."