In line with UKIE’s UK, Client Video games Market Valuation 2021, the UK video video games market has managed to achieve a worth of £7.16 billion which is the brand new all-time excessive.

In comparison with the record-breaking yr of 2020, throughout which video video games gross sales went by means of the roof because of the Covid-19 outbreak, this represents a yearly improve of 1.9%. This information additionally represents a 32.8% improve in comparison with 2019.

{Hardware} gross sales reached £2.66 billion which is a yearly gross sales improve of 17.4%. Inside this class, console gross sales have seen a rise of 32.9% to £1.13 billion and VR {hardware} gross sales elevated by a shocking 41.9% in comparison with 2020.

Senior consumer director at GfK Leisure, Dorian Bloch attributes this to the discharge of the brand new consoles, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Collection X/S in addition to the continual success of the Nintendo Change.

Dorian indicated that 2021 was the primary full calendar yr for Sony’s PS5 and Microsoft’s Xbox Collection consoles and that each have made a big impact in This fall 2020 at launch. He additionally mentioned that shopper demand outstripped provide, which is why it’s no shock that that is the most effective yr for the reason that all-time peak again in 2008.

He continued the assertion by saying that we must always not overlook that Nintendo’s Change additionally loved one other huge yr in 2021 and that that is the fifth yr on marketplace for the Change. He concluded by saying that the market and refreshed plenty of instances since 2017, most notably with the launch of Change Lite in 2019 and Change OLED in 2020.

Whereas {hardware} gross sales have elevated, software program gross sales alternatively noticed a 6.32% decline to £4.28 billion in comparison with 2020, nevertheless, that is additionally an 11.4% improve in comparison with 2019.

Digital gross sales additionally noticed a slight decline of 5.59% on consoles and seven% on PC. UKIE has attributed this to the restricted variety of main releases throughout 2021 in comparison with video games like Animal Crossing New Horizons or The Final of Us Half 2 in 2020.

Bodily gross sales didn’t do any higher, with the gross sales of boxed titles reducing by 21% in comparison with 2020. This information contains the gross sales of each new and pre-owned titles. At the moment, the pre-owned market represents £33.8 million whereas the boxed software program represents £511 million.

Cellular software program was the one class that didn’t expertise a yearly gross sales decline, managing to achieve the worth of £1.46 billion.

Lastly, video games licensed toys and merchandise reached £159 million in 2021 which is a 33.6% improve in comparison with 2020. UKIE mentioned that that is because of the success of the Pokemon merchandise.

Jo Twist, the CEO of UKIE indicated that the UK shopper video games market has consolidated successfully following vital development in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. She continued by saying that the UK is a nation that loves its video video games and that we ought to be happy with the optimistic contribution this sector makes to the economic system, tradition, and to wider society.