Australian gaming retail steady in 2013, $2 billion worth of sales
The consumer side of the gaming industry has held steady in Australia for 2013, with retail stores reporting an increase in hardware sales compared to 2012.
Much of the increase in hardware sales was attributed to the new consoles launching in late 2013 from Sony and Microsoft, though Nintendo’s 2DS displayed a strong showing as well.
Predictably, mention of the Wii U was nowhere to be found in the research, which was recently released by the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA).
On the software side the Wii U again failed to rate a mention, but heavy hitters like Pokémon proved they’re here to stay, with an increase in market share over 2012.
Digital purchasing has become a clear force in the way Australians access their games too, with digital sales increasing over 50 percent over 2012.
It is unknown just how much of these digital sales can be attributed to Nintendo platforms, but with the 3DS and 2DS having such a strong showing in hardware, we can possibly assume that a sizable portion of the digital sales could be Nintendo related.
We can only hope that with the release of hotly anticipated franchises on Wii U this year like Mario Kart, Donkey Kong and Super Smash Bros. that we might see the console rate more of a mention this year.
