Going into 2020, game streaming will undoubtedly be a topic of interest. The number of subscribers to Sony’s digital PlayStation Plus service also rose from 33.9 million in Q1 2018 to 36.2 million in the same time frame this year. The real hurdle to further widespread adoption of digital games is the controversial topic of resale and trade-in functionality. NPD Group uses data from both physical sales and digital downloads of games. COVID-19: U.S. video game spending change as of April 2020, by age; COVID-19: increase in time spent playing video games worldwide as of March 2020 And while 6% might not immediately translate to significant growth, this year’s quiet release slate, already mired by delays and disruption caused by the coronavirus, combined with Sony’s PlayStation 4 and Microsoft’s Xbox One end of lifecycle lull makes just about any increase notable. Sony's Q1 financial results reveal digital sales of games surpassed those of their physical counterparts for the first time. In the third quarter of 2015, Electronic Arts, a massive video game publisher, made $666 million in physical sales and $480 million in digital, according to numbers provided by SuperData. PS4 was just 5 years and 7 months. A group of analysts believe that video game revenue will come entirely from digital sales by the year 2022. The report also shows that the PlayStation 4 passed the 100-million-units-shipped milestone, seizing the coveted spot as the fastest console to do so, according to Niko Partners analyst Daniel Ahmad. To them, it signals that physical, tangible games are going by the wayside. Digital content won’t ever completely kill off physical media but will warp it into a niche product reserved for enthusiasts very much in the same way vinyl records are a collector’s item. | Source: Shutterstock, WTF Call of Duty? All images not from Shutterstock.com has been sourced by NTB. Only vinyl records are holding their own in … Rumors emanating from the Microsoft camp suggest Project Scarlett already has two models dubbed Lockhart and Anaconda that fit the description. Physical game sales have been smaller and smaller each year, but are they still relevant? It’s followed by the long-running favorite Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and this spring’s massive hit, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, which was the top seller for March. Between retail discounts, digital sales, used game deals from my local shops, and now subs, $60 day one purchases are rare for me. September 23, 2020 UTC: 12:51 PM. People are also buying more gaming hardware than compared to this time last year. But often times, the digital sales really rival the brick and mortar stores. First-quarter financial results released by Sony today reveal that digital sales of PlayStation 4 games surpassed those of their physical counterparts, marking the first time the balance has shifted in the favor of digital content. | Source: Shutterstock. While both digital and physical games go on sale often, you'll typically find the best discounts on physical games. Digital Sales are Beating Physical Sales According to the Latest Sony Data. VGChartz delivers comprehensive game chart coverage, including sales data, news, reviews, & game database for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Series X, Nintendo Switch & PC That companies are trying to replace their beloved, collectible physical games with less tangible alternatives they don't fully own. It took PS2 a total of five years and 9 months. However, Just Dance 2020 is climbing the ranks, and it’s the fast-selling entry since Just Dance 2014. I still try to lean toward physical for games I will want in the collection 20 years from now. Game sales were up 55% compared to April 2019, reaching a total of $662 million, according to NPD Group’s latest report, with Final Fantasy VII Remake taking the spot as April’s top-selling game. We don’t exactly know what they will sport under the hood, and although digital will continue to overtake physical media, it’s unlikely the next-generation will be the first to forego a disc drive entirely. Serving as a surprise standout is Just Dance 2020, a yearly franchise that hasn’t often gained much attention since it debuted in 2009 among the advent of motion-controlled play for the Wii and later the Xbox Kinect. For over half of the 42.9 million units sold, consumers opted to download rather than invest in digital copies. Mid tier stuff is … The two franchise top performers are joined by 2015’s Call of Duty: Black Ops III on the list of the Xbox One’s top 10 for April. But as the RIAA notes, the industry’s revenue is still 40 percent below peak levels, and physical sales and digital downloads still have farther to fall. Sales of CDs continue to slump as consumers turn towards music streaming services rather than owning physical media. Upgrade your lifestyleDigital Trends helps readers keep tabs on the fast-paced world of tech with all the latest news, fun product reviews, insightful editorials, and one-of-a-kind sneak peeks.Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. This brought it up to the third highest-selling game of 2020 so far and the best-selling gaming on the PlayStation 4 this year. Digital vs Physical Switch games. April was a record year for game sales, according to analyst company the NPD Group. Is digital really as dominant as people think? Game sales for 2020 have already topped $2 billion — and that’s for software sales alone. Whether Sony follows suit remains to be seen, but a partnership with Microsoft to make use of the Azure server network suggests digital content will form part of the Japanese gaming giant’s next-gen strategy. Speculation aside, the ongoing growth of digital is inevitable, and the next-generation of console signals a cataclysmic shift not just in how consumers play games but how they buy them. pic.twitter.com/g4Bk8sckYf. By: Thomas Bardwell | Email. Perhaps most interestingly was the finding that 2014 was the first year so far where digital* sales were greater than physical sales (52 % vs 48%) * Digital format sales include subscriptions, digital full games, digital add-on content, mobile apps and social network gaming The best Call of Duty games, ranked from best to worst, The best games to play with friends online, Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War for Xbox Series X, PS5 Discounted for Christmas, Here’s every announcement from the 2020 Game Awards, Everything we know about God of War Ragnarok, Everything we know about Beyond Good and Evil 2, Overwatch 2: Everything we know about the release date, new heroes, and more, The best Mac-10 loadouts in Call of Duty: Warzone, Pokemon Sword and Shield differences explained, These are the best cheap gaming monitor deals for January 2021, These are the best cheap gaming headset deals for January 2021, Cyberpunk 2077 cheat codes: How to unlock unlimited money, weapons, and more, The Best Gaming Deals for January 2021: Nintendo Switch, PS4, and Xbox One. For example, in Australia, Sony’s latest big release, Ghost of Tsushima , costs around $71 in the PlayStation Store, but retailers are selling physical copies for as low as around $49. Still, the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One also did well, with sales of the three consoles increasing by more than 160% over last year. A tranche of people will continue to find pleasure in the simple act of carefully pulling the plastic off a new game, catching a whiff of the factory-sealed PlayStation 4 box, and inserting a disc into a console. The video game industry is constantly evolving and inspiring innovation. Digital Copy. Regardless of the hurdles still marring digital game sales, exclusively cloud-based gaming platforms like Google Stadia and Microsoft’s Project xCloud will stampede onto the gaming market shortly. ... NPD Group uses data from both physical sales and digital downloads of games. PlayStation 4 Digital Game Sales Overtake Physical. The allure of digital content needs no introduction; convenience plays a huge part, taking the need to visit a brick-and-mortar store or order online and wait for delivery out of the picture. Copyright ©2021 Designtechnica Corporation. Call of Duty has another game among April top sellers with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2: Remastered coming in as the seventh-highest title. Become a Patron, so we can produce more of the content you enjoy! Physical vs Digital—Why Physical Video Games Are Better. The best-selling platform was the Nintendo Switch, which continues to hold onto its top spot as the Sony and Microsoft’s competitors age out and prepare for the next generation to release later this year. Because Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Walmart compete with each other, they often have sales, making physical games cheaper than the digital versions. Physical game sales, at 53 % digital at 53 % digital Q1. 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