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Games Outsell Movies In 2008, Sales Rise 20% To $32 Billion

We've all known for a while that video games and movies have been going in two very different directions, and the recent 2008 sales statistics prove that one industry is most certainly on the upswing while the other…well…

According to GamesIndustry.biz, retail sales of video games topped those of DVD and Blu-Ray for the very first time in 2008, and overall sales of "packaged media" rose 6% worldwide to hit a grand total of $61 billion. These numbers come courtesy of Media Control GfK International, and for our industry, they're encouraging: game sales grew 20% last year to $32 billion, and in stark contrast, the combined sales of DVD and Blu-Ray fell 6%, to $29 billion. GfK takes the next step and expects games "to represent 57% of packaged media sales" over the next year, which would be up from 53% in 2008 and 47% in 2007. Overall sales are expected to rise 12% to $36 billion this year, and this growth stands out against the decline of DVD and Blu-Ray sales, which are expected to fall another 4% in 2009. However , we would like to point out that the majority of this "falling" is done on the DVD side; Blu-Ray sales are up, and are expected to double to more than $2.9 billion this year. It's just that the overall sales and declining interest in Hollywood are causing the overall number to fall.

For the record, despite the 20% game growth, this is still a little under GfK's initial prediction, which was 22%. Not surprisingly, GfK U.S. president Amy Heller attributes this to the lagging economy, but with so many suffering industries right now, a 20% growth report really won't disappoint anyone.

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Anonymous
Anonymous
14 years ago

20 percent more in this climate. That is very impressive.

I can see why tho. Just look at the titles and hardware we have to choose from. Its a great time to be in this hobby thats for sure.

Fatcat3788
Fatcat3788
14 years ago

Agreed. That is also with no matter of what console you prefer 😉

Phoelix
Phoelix
14 years ago

My mother still thinks that the driving force of gaming is from college and high-school students who have no money.

Vivi_Gamer
Vivi_Gamer
14 years ago

games cost alot more………

Troy Powers
Troy Powers
14 years ago

Exactly, with a game costing 3-4 times more than a movie this info could be kind of misleading. When they say they expect games to represent 57% of packaged media, I'm sure they mean by dollars, and not units. So, to say I spend more money on video games than dvds or blu-rays in a year isn't much of a stretch.

Completely off topic: Those have to be the two happiest negroes I've ever seen in that picture! They look like they're playing a game where Barack Obama hunts down klansmen GTA style.

fundando
fundando
14 years ago

lmao

coverton341
coverton341
14 years ago

Troy you are hilarious. Too bad they have to play on the PS2. The Klan is obviously connected to Microsoft and wouldn't allow the game to be made for the PS3. They wanted an exclusivity deal for the 360.

Anonymous
Anonymous
14 years ago

LMAO

Damn dude that was rich haha.

Aftab
Aftab
14 years ago

Lol, Troy!!! Impossibly happy! Their lying elbows-first on hardwood floor and with no sofa in sight. Those brothers happen to be of the Sears-catalogue variety. They do not actually exist in reality.

bearbobby
bearbobby
14 years ago

Wow…

Aftab
Aftab
14 years ago

You are right. That was wrong.

Robochic
Robochic
14 years ago

very impressed with the blue ray percentage, but again it's a new generation of movies format. Movies lately haven't been like they use to i think i have seen the same old ending to a chick flick for the last 15 years. Movies aren't impressive and creative anymore or at least lately i go to blockbuster and see nothing i want to see plus pricing isn't helping either i my as well wait till the movie is previously viewed and just buy it which is cheaper in the long run. gaming is great plus their are more reviews and previews for games, i think if they had more of that for movies it would be better.

Orvisman
Orvisman
14 years ago

So, there are no movie reviews or previews out there?

The lack of reviews and previews must suck for all those newspapers that run reviews and all those magazines and websites dedicated to entertainment that cover movies.

There are a lot of blank pages and screens being viewed out there.

Zorigo
Zorigo
14 years ago

well that doesn't suprise me, you only watch movies once or twice, well i do, gmes have a lot more value. so people buy more of them

Vivi_Gamer
Vivi_Gamer
14 years ago

yeah but thats a chick flick, worlds worse genre!

Games nesscarrelly dont havemore replay value, some i do some i dont, i havent replayed dead space or either resistance games or gta 4 and DMC 4 after completing them. played msg4 a few times but now im getting a bit tired of the story, replayed uncharted tons of times until i got the platinum trophy.

The ammount of times i've watched The Shining or The Godfather Part II you'd think i'd got tired but i dont think i ever will.

Troy Powers
Troy Powers
14 years ago

Yeah, but the stories in video games are getting better every year. Imagine a game that equalled The Shining or The Godfather as far as story, acting, and cinematography. Movies can't compete with that.

Ben Dutka PSXE
Ben Dutka PSXE
14 years ago

"yeah but thats a chick flick, worlds worse genre!"

Not surprising, as the worst genre in literature is chick lit. Heh.

Qubex
Qubex
14 years ago

Very glad to see this… I think Hollywood generally needs to learn some hard lessons… as interactive entertainment gets better and better… movies will find it difficult to compete…

There are those special films, from great film makers that will warrant attention… but it is dying… The classics will always be classics… and typically, in a year you will get about 5 movies or so worth watching… but mostly, soppy crappy stuff that means nothing.

Q!

"i aM hOme"


Last edited by Qubex on 1/26/2009 12:17:23 PM

Vivi_Gamer
Vivi_Gamer
14 years ago

cant compete with what, you said imagine it , meaning there is the competetion doesnt exist.

how many games do you get each year that "matter" you'll find its around the same rate.

Bill_Clinton_
Bill_Clinton_
14 years ago

i'm not surprise by this news at all.. just because you watch any movie online a couple of days after it releases in the theatre.. an nowadays people are playing more videogames then ever before.. my mom even has a wii..

K ASH
K ASH
14 years ago

I believe its tough 2 make a classic movie these days. I wonder if thats going to happen to games 1 day, atleast thier interactive. Tv serieses are very good know hollywood should invest more on that, what suck about them is that they dont want to end while thier still on top e.g heroes

GuernicaReborn
GuernicaReborn
14 years ago

I agree TV is better than cinema lately. I can't get enough of Lost, 24 is on it's way to one of the best seasons it's ever had, and although I'm still on the fence considering Fringe, it's better than any movies I've seen in the past 2 months(I've only seen 2 movies in the past 2 months, but that's more Hollywoods fault than mine).

I'd love to see a T.V. western, I think it could be done right. Plus, thats one genre that I'll always have a soft spot for.


Last edited by GuernicaReborn on 1/26/2009 12:42:19 PM

bearbobby
bearbobby
14 years ago

Best TV western ever was Firefly!

karneli lll
karneli lll
14 years ago

Tim Kring was overconfident with Heros, making Sylar a good guy?!!! I've seen Britney make better decisions. The way the show's going,i wont be surprised if the Hilton girl makes an appearance.

Digression aside, the story in games is also starting to lose some weight, soon we'll see the same story being told through different means. By then hollywood will be reduced to 20 minute long movies with 6+ hours of bonus content.

www
www
14 years ago

not surprised!

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

Those 2 guys must be uncomfortable as hell on that hardwood floor.

www
www
14 years ago

That's SHADOW n his colleague….lol!
Guess dis explains why we haven't heard from him since Adam,busy lying on hardwood floors playing games while Ben works his ass off…..lol!


Last edited by www on 1/26/2009 3:15:05 PM

WorldEndsWithMe
WorldEndsWithMe
14 years ago

Yeah, why isn't SHADOW around to argue with Joshua these days?

karneli lll
karneli lll
14 years ago

But devs should stop that 'this is the first in the trilogy' nonsense for the sake of a contract (Cliffy,this ones for you) because as soon as you play the first sequel you realize they're making it up as they go.

BeezleDrop
BeezleDrop
14 years ago

Games are sometimes basicly movies you can interact with.

BeezleDrop
BeezleDrop
14 years ago

So why would it be hard to believe the gaming industry made more money.

Minishmaru
Minishmaru
14 years ago

Doesn't surprise me much. Now that new releases have slowed down people can budget better and get games they want without having to "be cool" and be the first to have a title. Not only that but all these movies I've seen being released into theatres…yeah they are just awful! Television shows are getting better such as "24" but movies are bombing in my opinion.

P.S. I hope the new "Friday the 13th" does well along with "Underworld:Rise of the Lycans" Those are 2 i'm actually going to see…i haven't seen a new movie since…sometime before Xmas

coverton341
coverton341
14 years ago

I think the last good movie I saw was Eagle Eye.
That is not to say it was the last I went to. I am fortunate enough to be in a position of having a bit of disposable income except around the end and beginning of the month and my fiancé and I only get to see each other on weekends so we watch a lot of movies in theatres and lemme be the first to say that the movies out now blow small farm animals. Like the Unborn. I wish I had the time and money that I spent on the tickets back. I would go out and buy a game that I really want to play that she would play with me but oh well such is life. Oh and The Unborn blew. Just wanted to say that again. From the first scene I was like "I paid for this?" and to top it off the theatre was full of 14-year old children.

Minishmaru
Minishmaru
14 years ago

OH! You're right that was the best movie I've seen so far…not in theatres tho…during these times and I know its a double edged sword…I downloaded it just to see if it was gonna be any good…SHOCKED about how much I liked it lol. I was really looking forward to the Unborn but yeah…i've heard it was pretty awful, come on Gary Oldman in that movie?!?

Kangasfwa
Kangasfwa
14 years ago

Let's see… I can pay 10 dollars to watch a steaming two hour pile of crap or I can spend 60 dollars on a game that will entertain me for hours… Hmmmmm… What to do…?

bamf
bamf
14 years ago

Only makes sense – games are better than movies.

Vivi_Gamer
Vivi_Gamer
14 years ago

You blunt a$$ mother F**ker you, if you've got nothing better to say than that please GTFO the internet!

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