2011 was a challenging year for the boxed product video games market in the UK, with annual sales figures of £1.42bn (entertainment software, pc & console games), down 7% over 2010. However, thanks to a strong quarter four the boxed product market was actually slightly ahead of earlier forecasts for a year where consumer spending on leisure activities and leisure goods has been put to the test.
Of the ten best-selling games of 2011 eight were released at the start of or during the key quarter four sales period, meaning that a record 51% of annual revenue was generated in this period. The No1 best-seller for 2011 was Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which broke previous records on release by generating £83m in week 45 and 2m units in 5 days.
