FIFA 'best-selling game in record sales year'
Video game sales hit a record £1.26bn (€1.7bn) in the UK last year, according to industry figures.
The figure is 7.1% up on the previous year when sales were £1.08bn (€1.5bn), the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA) said.
The UK market for video games, other leisure software and games consoles is now worth more than £2bn (€2.9bn) a year.
According to ELSPA, the industry enjoyed a healthy Christmas with a record 15 games titles selling more than 300,000 copies each in the final 10 weeks of the year.
The year’s best-selling game, FIFA 2004, from Electronic Arts, reached ELSPA’s “double platinum” status by selling 600,000 copies over the 10 weeks.
High street chain Game confirmed the situation with results last week showing UK sales in the five weeks to January 3 this year were up 9%.
Roger Bennett, director general of ELSPA, said: “Once again, the UK industry has seen its most successful year ever.
“The UK video games industry sales have been on the rise for the past 20 years. It topped the £2bn (€2.9bn) mark for the first time in 2002 and this year, once the final figures for all hardware are compiled, will see that dynamic trend continue.”
