2024 has not been kind to the world of video games at all, as we saw record layoffs and even struggling revenue, as has been reported on by VGC. It’s said that in the UK in particular, video game revenue actually fell by 4.4%, down to £4.6 billion, and the reason for this is because of the ever-changing ways we consume gaming entertainment.
The biggest contributor to the drop came from the physical market, which effectively crashed in 2024, with only £324.4 million generated from the sales of boxed games in the UK, which is a staggering 35% decrease from 2023.
The digital market mostly stagnated, with an overall 1% drop that resulted in £4.29 billion generated on PC, consoles, and mobile devices. Specifically, it’s noted that PC game sales dropped 5%, consoles a whopping 15%, mobile increased a little by 2.6%, and subscriptions saw a strong growth by increasing by 12%.
As expected, the year’s biggest game in the UK was EA Sports FC 25, which managed to ship 2.9 million units in the country alone, but the main thing to note is that it’s said 80% of those sales came from digital copies, further expressing how physical games are becoming a relic of the past.
This drop in revenue performance also means the once very dominant video game sector has failed for a second-year-running to beat the film and video sector in the UK, a feat it used to achieve with both eyes closed. Perhaps 2025 will get things back on track with plenty of major and exciting AAA projects planned throughout the year.