DVD Market Still Trouncing Game Software Sales

by Aaron Linde, Jul 03, 2008 1:00pm PDT

Related Topics – Software Sales, Hollywood

Contrary to previous reports that US game sales had surpassed those of DVD movies in 2007, the Entertainment Merchants Association revealed that DVDs still hold a substantial lead over game software.

According to Kotaku, the EMA said that the data from sales tracking firm NPD showing $18.85 billion in game sales includes software, hardware, and game accessories, while DVD sales—raking in $16 billion in 2007—accounts only for DVDs.

The software portion of the $18.85 billion in total game sales amounts to roughly $8.64 billion, marking a still significant lead for DVD sales over video games.

The data does not account for game rentals, used game sales or the revenue generated by online gaming subscriptions. The NPD recently announced its intentions to track online subscription sales, discovering some $1 billion in revenue in the first quarter of 2008 alone.

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Comments

6 Threads | 11 Comments

#11

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By: rosewood x Show Full Post

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Add this to another reason that you can't blame piracy for gaming sales issues.

DVDs / Movies are pirated just as much, if not more than games. Yet here their sales numbers are still outrageous.

Jul 05, 2008 4:22pm PDT

Add this to another reason that you can't blame piracy for gaming sales issues. DVDs / Movies are pira... : rosewood

#7

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By: Jobos x Show Full Post

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Is it just me, or does comparing these two types of separate media seem like a waste of time? I mean, games and DVD/movies both hold a separate place in my mind, and in my wallet. Since when are the competing against each other?

Jul 04, 2008 8:55pm PDT

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Is it just me, or does comparing these two types of separate media seem like a waste of time? I mean, ga... : Jobos
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 3 replies.
- Everything is competing against everything in the world! Time to compare Book sales now. : psycho100
- Im with you on that. I don't give a rats behind if one is beating the other. Maybe the corps do but I don... : samduhman

#9

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By: thesubtlesnake x Show Full Post

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I find it funny that no one ever corrected the completely wrong figures in Shacknews' previous "PC Games 14% of 2007 Retail Games Sales" article (http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/50939). Hint: 911 million is not 14% of 18.85 billion, and the actual industry *software* sales were 9.5 billion, not 18.85 billion.

http://www.npd.com/press/releases/press_080131b.html

Jul 05, 2008 9:23am PDT

I find it funny that no one ever corrected the completely wrong figures in Shacknews' previous "PC Games ... : thesubtlesnake

#6

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By: OmegaRed59 x Show Full Post

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Does the NPD still not even include Walmart? It seems strange to compare NPD numbers of games to anything else. I mean, many people buy games at Walmart and amazon, etc. so using it as a total game sales against total DVD sales is kind of strange. Even if DVD sales are tracked the same, I am sure that customers buy things with a different mind set, from different places.

Jul 03, 2008 4:33pm PDT

Does the NPD still not even include Walmart? It seems strange to compare NPD numbers of games to anythin... : OmegaRed59

#5

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By: LeeMon x Show Full Post

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Not surprised. That "gaming is bigger than movies" argument that's been thrown about for ten years (in addition to being totally unfair by comparing software/hardware sales to box office receipts only) was based on a calculation that included a portion of TOTAL PC SYSTEM SALES, ostensibly under the premise that most of those computers would have a game played on them at some point. It's been mentioned repeatedly as gospel truth ever since. :)

This really isn't much different.

(The above is based on the confession of a former coworker of mine, whose previous job was at one of the companies most interested in marketing that statistic, in a job where they were very likely to have devised the number in the first place.)

Jul 03, 2008 4:12pm PDT

Not surprised. That "gaming is bigger than movies" argument that's been thrown about for ten years (in a... : LeeMon

#1

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By: thecray x Show Full Post

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- The data does not account for game rentals, used game sales or the revenue generated by online gaming subscriptions.

Does the dvd data include rentals, used dvd sales, or online movie purchases (which I doubt would be as large as online gaming, but still).

Jul 03, 2008 1:14pm PDT

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- The data does not account for game rentals, used game sales or the revenue generated by online gaming ... : thecray
Thread Truncated. Click to see all 4 replies.
- Nope, just DVD sales, according to the EMA. : Aaron Linde
- toggle
  They just never seem to do apples to apples, do they? : SeaLlama
  - I guess it comes down to what sort of results you want. : special agent smith

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