Tag Archives: international distribution

Video games retail in the Pacific region is not unlike that of Europe. The market faces many of the same hurdles, such as the digital transition and decline of boxed sales. Challenges unique to the area include the rise of grey importing, a harsh disparity on both price and release …

Australia and New Zealand have fared well in the global recession, due in part to our proximity to Asia and relative economic isolation from the US. This has driven consumers to import their games directly from the US to take advantage of the exchange rate, and several websites to set …

France is one of the biggest gaming markets in Europe, and one still dominated by boxed sales. NPD figures released last month showed that French consumers purchase fewer downloadable games than neighbouring Germany. France has a strong retail network with mass merchandisers and specialised stores that allow publishers to target …

The Italian video games market was worth $1.09bn in 2011, and more than half of this was generated by software sales. Italy has suffered slight declines in sales of hardware, software and accessories since 2010 but the nation is still home to a healthy retail landscape. Italy is the fourth …

Poland’s games market enjoyed impressive growth last year. Total software sales were up 12 per cent year-on-year between January and September, and up 27 per cent on consoles. Traditionally a region dominated by PC, now PS3 and Xbox 360 are two of the biggest-selling formats in Poland – equalling PC …

Iceland is only 40,000 square miles in size, and its population – and therefore its retail landscape – is even more consolidated. Civilisation in this volcanic land is focused around the capital city, meaning that publishers, retailers and distributors alike can concentrate their business on this one area to efficiently …

The southernmost Nordic nation is home to a strong retail market, where games are sold in everything from specialists and hypermarts to bookstores and indie music chains. But the high tax rate makes it a challenging market for companies without the capital to support them. Denmark is just as complex …

Like its fellow Scandinavian nations, Finland is a big country. It has a population of 5.4m spread around a large geographical area. This means publishers need to work closely with retailers.The nation’s retail landscape bears several similarities to that of the UK and other European markets. Specialist games retailers naturally …

Sweden has the largest games market in the Nordic region, and as a result a strong presence from the world’s biggest games companies. It also has an impressive development community, home to the likes of Battlefield studio EA DICE, Just Cause creators Avalanche Studios and The Darkness dev Starbreeze. But …