Analyst firm DFC Intelligence recently revealed that 92 per cent of all PC games sales in 2013 were digital downloads. PCR reports that this figure leaves less than 10 per cent of global PC sales to high street and online physical games retailers. DFCI is expecting the number to rise further in the years to come; however it points out that its statistics only cover the games software - gaming hardware and/or accessories will of course never be downloadable (even with the impending 3D printing revolution).
The rise in popularity in purchasing games digitally has been hard not to notice but with the increasingly slick, frictionless online stores and faster downloads/internet available it may not be too surprising that it has almost taken over entirely. The trend hit a major milestone as digital game sales overtook physical for the first time ever last year. In 2013, sales of downloadable mobile, PC, console and tablet games reached £1.18 billion in the UK, whilst physical copies accounted for £1.015 billion.
Platforms such as Valve's Steam, EA's Origin, various online sellers of codes for these platforms and hugely popular sales and bundles have made a big impact on the triumph of digital downloads.
The same research firm, DFCI, also revealed earlier this year that PC games market revenue has surpassed that of console gaming, making it the most attractive gaming platform for years. This could be related to consoles now being seen as luxury items, where PCs are the household necessities and it could also be something to do with the amount of irresistible bargain priced game sales for PCs…
Do you think hard copies of games will be replaced completely in the near future? When was the last time you purchased a hard copy of a game? Please let us know in the comments below.
