NPD: $3.5 billion spent on games in Q1 2013
New research shows that digital picked up where retail slumped
Consumers in the United States spent $3.5 billion on video games during the first quarter of 2013, according to a new NPD Group report. Of that total, $1.37 billion went to physical software purchases, $559 million was spent on used sales and rentals, and $1.49 billion was spent on digital purchases, includng subscriptions, mobile games, and downloadable content. The total revenue for video games was flat year-over-year, with the same $3.5 billion total in the first quarter of 2012.
"Digital spending fully offset the declines in physical format spend in Q1'13," said NPD analyst Liam Callahan. "There is strong growth in full-game downloads and downloadable add-on content sales across consoles, PCs, and portables, up a combined 25 percent in the first quarter of this year."
The full report, 2012 Games Market Dynamics: U.S, is available on the NPD Group's website.