Citing new IDG research, Forbes has described Europe as the world’s largest potential market for video games, but also currently the least mature, also revealing the combined top ten selling titles for 2007 in the UK, France and Germany.
A new article on the Forbes.com website has described Europe as the world’s largest potential market for video games, but also the least mature. Citing IDG (International Development Group) research the European market was valued at $17.9 billion in 2007, compared to $18.8 billion for the U.S. Although Europe has twice the population of the U.S. the fragmented market - divided by different languages, cultures and laws - has often seen publishers concentrating on the North American and Japanese markets. Forbes asserts that the European market is “dominated” by casual games and shows an “aversion to excessive violence”. To illustrate these points the article uses an IDG list of the top ten best-selling titles in Europe during 2007, based on sales in the UK, France and Germany. The number one selling title, actually released in 2006, is Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training (aka Brain Age) for the Nintendo DS. The only single format titles in the top ten are for the Nintendo DS and Wii, with the Nintendo DS described as controlling 26 percent of the European market. The full list of top ten selling titles in Europe during 2007 are as follows: 1. Dr Kawashima’s Brain Training (Nintendo) 2. FIFA 2008 (Electronic Arts) 3. Wii Play (Nintendo) 4. Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (Konami) 5. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo) 6. Need for Speed: ProStreet (Electronic Arts) 7. Assassin’s Creed (Ubisoft) 8. Call of Duty 4: Mordern Warfare (Activision) 9. Big Brain Academy (Nintendo) 10. The Simpsons Game (Electronic Arts) It is unclear whether PC titles are included in the data, with the PC format remaining of particular relevance in continental Europe.
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