DS and 360 star in record-breaking 2007

Neil Long Jan 10 2008, 10:00am

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ChartTrack reveals full year figures as 2007's market value reaches £1.7 billion

A handheld sector spearheaded by DS and a home console market led by Xbox 360 have pushed 2007 software sales to unprecedented heights, MCV can reveal.

Full year figures courtesy of ELSPA and ChartTrack reveal another spectacular year of game sales and a significant boost in market value.

Total software unit sales in the UK grew 16 per cent this year to a best ever 75.9 million, while in value terms the industry reached an all-time high of £1.72 billion.

And the industry has DS and Xbox 360 to thank most for 2007’s performance at retail, according to ChartTrack director Dorian Bloch. “The high points have been Xbox 360, which was the clear winner in the home console market,” he told MCV. “The really big area of growth is console handheld, which in terms of units and value has hit an all-time high. DS has really been a star performer – handheld took nearly a third of the market in unit terms and almost a quarter in value.”

Despite having only been released in late September, EA’s FIFA 08 was the biggest selling title of 2007, followed by Nintendo’s consistently outstanding Brain Training – a superb achievement for a single format game.

Electronic Arts retained its position at the top of the publisher league tables in 2007 but saw far stiffer competition than in 2006.