ERA: Games retail will outperform video and music combined in 2013

Video games are expected to generate more revenue than both video and music combined this year.

That’s according to the Entertainment Retailers Association, which predicts that Xbox One, PS4 and a slew of triple-A games – including GTA V, FIFA, Battlefield and Call of Duty – will drive more people into stores than any other entertainment product.

It will also mark a return to form for the medium.

Games were bigger than music and video in 2010 and 2011, but slipped behind video in 2012,” an ERA spokesperson told MCV. That’s according to our figures, which include digital games revenues.

If you add in anticipated hardware sales in the fourth quarter of 2013, we would expect the games total to be bigger than video and music combined, with the cash value of those sales to be worth in excess of 1bn pounds.”

ERA also believes the excitement around games can be a boost to music and film, too.

The fortunes of music and video are likely to be determined by the strength of their release schedules,” the spokesperson said. They could even benefit from increased footfall in entertainment stores due to people coming in to buy games and hardware.”