Sony surpasses 500,000 PlayStation 4 sales in a single month; Decline ends for games market

Sony sold more than half a million PlayStation 4s across the UK in thirty days since its release, while Microsoft managed to shift 364,000 Xbox Ones in five weeks, according to official sales data released for the first time.

Retail monitor Chart-Track has measured some 530,000 PS4 sales since the system released on November 29, which represents about £180 million in gross revenue. Microsoft made a similar amount from Xbox One, about £140 million, due to positive sales and coupled with the additional cost of the console.

It means that close to a million core next generation consoles have been sold already - a widely praised achievement which has helped drive industry sales.

Overall for 2013, physical game sales declined three per cent. However, according to data (and estimates) by analyst group IHS Screen Digest, digital revenues soared 16 per cent and overtook physical for the first time.

Combined sales showed overall games revenue climbed 6.6 per cent during 2013, making it a £2 billion market in the UK alone.

This was helped in part by the record breaking sales for Grand Theft Auto 5, which has sold 3.6 million units in the UK since its September release. Rockstar's critically acclaimed crime opus became biggest-selling individual title across all entertainment industries.

Overall, the UK's music, video and games market made £5.4 billion in 2013, an encouraging 4 per cent increase.

"This is a stunning result after at least five years of decline," said Entertainment Retailers Association director Kim Bayley.

"Retailers have invested hundreds of millions of pounds in new digital services and these numbers suggest the public is responding in their droves. New technologies have historically presented challenges to the entertainment business, but these results show how our members are helping music, video and games companies find new markets."

Xbox One launched across thirteen countries on November 22. On December 11, Microsoft said the system already reached two million units globally.

Sony has not recently released global PS4 sales figures, though by December 2 it had sold 2.1 million units.

Posted: Jan 02, 2014 3:11 pm
Related Forum: PlayStation Forum

Source: http://www.computerandvideogames.com/443674/uk-ps4-sold-45-faster-than-xbox-one-in-2013/