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Australia enjoys record games growth

The Australian videogames market was the latest territory to celebrate a successful 2007 with the news that sales hit AUD 1.3 billion last year - up from AUD 925 million in 2006, a rise of 43.6 per cent.

The Australian videogames market was the latest territory to celebrate a successful 2007 with the news that sales hit AUD 1.3 billion last year - up from AUD 925 million in 2006, a rise of 43.6 per cent.

The news, from the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia, complements news from the US where sales were also up 43 per cent in 2007, according to NPD data.

According to an IGN report GfK Australia data reveals that 15.4 million games were bought, with around a third of that total coming in the last three months of the year.

Ron Curry, CEO of the IEAA, pointed to the maturing of key platforms as one of the reasons for the stellar growth.

"Last year, Australians welcomed the arrival of the PS3 and marked a full year since the release of the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii. The launch of highly anticipated next generation gaming drove console sales to almost AUD 500 million, nearly double the AUD 270 million sold in 2006," he said.

"Sales figures also indicate a resurging popularity in handheld consoles with 2.3 million units of software for the Nintendo DS system purchased last year compared to the 840,000 purchased in 2006."

He also revealed that the videogames market in Australia was following trends set in Europe and the US, with non-traditional demographics embracing interactive entertainment, and the average age of gamers rising to 28.