The UK games market, which was facing a slowdown since five years, is now on the growth track thanks to Grand Theft Auto V.
Reports coming from the market research firm Kantar Worldpanel indicate a market boost of around 29% in the last 12 weeks ending September 29 with Rockstar’s popular game hitting the game market on 17 September. “The release of GTA V has given the entertainment sector a much-needed boost”, said Fiona Keenan, strategic insight director at Kantar Worldpanel.
Kantar Worldpanel also believes that the lack of new consoles has been one of the factors behind declining sales prior to the recent surge. The company is of the opinion that Xbox One and PlayStation 4 will act as a propellant and further boost gaming sales across the world.
“We think the consoles that are coming, which are aimed at core gamers, will inject a bit of life into the industry,” said Ms Keenan.
In the games retailing world, supermarkets Tesco and Asda were the main UK market gainers placed at second and third positions. Tesco, which offered GTA V and £22 worth of shopping for £43 reported the largest gaming title sales within the first two weeks of its release.
Amazon is leading the pack as the largest gaming retailer with 20 percent share, while Tesco managed to increase its market share to 17.1 percent followed by Asda with 12.1 percent market share. However, HMV’s market share dropped to 7.4 percentage points since last year with more and more of its shoppers turning to its rivals.
