UK Market Expands In 2006; Top Sellers Revealed

Officials from British industry association ELSPA (Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association) have revealed annual performance figures for the UK market that show a 1 percent increase over 2005’s own record figures. Software sales increased by 7 percent on the previous year with a total of 65.1 million units sold. As a result the British games market as a whole rose to a value of £1.36 billion ($2.65bn) – the largest single market in Europe. The most popular home console (implied to be in terms of hardware sold) was the PlayStation 2, followed by the Xbox 360, Xbox, Wii and GameCube. In the handheld market, Nintendo DS software sales outsold all formats except the PlayStation 2, with the PSP just behind. The PC market also enjoyed its best ever year of sales with a 7 percent increase. Paul Jackson, director general of ELSPA, said: "We are thrilled to see the industry growing and software sales continuing to rise. With the new generation consoles and new handhelds there are some amazing titles out there and consumers are continuing to enjoy them. There are new and exciting games available and more and more family orientated and mentally stimulating titles to grasp and hold the interest of all ages. This is also a testament to the industry and it will continue to gain momentum.” The top ten selling titles of 2006 were also revealed, with the chart providing few surprises beyond the presence of The Sims 2 which, with the exception of the PSP version, was actually released in 2005.