in Canada
ACNielsen reports continued growth for video gaming industry
Video Games Drive Overall Industry Performance
MARKHAM, ON, Oct. 18 /CNW/ - Sales of video games and related equipment reached $416 million in the first three quarters of 2004 - up 9% compared with the first three quarters of last year, according to the latest research from ACNielsen Canada. After a terrific start in Q1, the video market saw a decline in Q2 only to rebound in Q3 with 6% growth from the same period last year.
The findings come from ACNielsen Canada's Video Game Market Tracker (VGMT), the only information service that analyzes sales of video game software, hardware, and peripherals nationally and in six Canadian regions.
Dollar sales of video games alone rose 28% in September and 19% the first three quarters to $245 million. Unit sales of game consoles were also impressive and jumped 31% in September, with an overall growth of 10% for the year to date.
Darren Elkerton, business manager, Computer Industry Services, ACNielsen Canada, said, "The volume of games being sold in the marketplace is astounding. So far in 2004, game unit sales are up over 34% versus 2003, a pace that is driving the industry. Look for new hardware and big title releases in Q4 to add additional fuel to the industry's performance."
The top 10 video game titles for the third quarter of 2004 based on unit sales are shown below:
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Rank Title Platform
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1 Microsoft Fable Xbox
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2 Activision Spiderman 2 PS2
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3 Electronic Arts NHL 2005 PS2
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4 Jack of All Games ESPN NHL 2K5 PS2
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5 Electronic Arts NHL 2004 PS2
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6 Atari Driv3r PS2
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7 Activision Spiderman 2 Xbox
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8 Nintendo Pokemon Firered GBA
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9 Electronic Arts Madden NFL 2005 PS2
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10 Namco Tales of Symphonia Cube
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Source: ACNielsen Video Game Market Tracker, July-September 2004
ACNielsen reports continued growth for video gaming industry
Video Games Drive Overall Industry Performance
MARKHAM, ON, Oct. 18 /CNW/ - Sales of video games and related equipment reached $416 million in the first three quarters of 2004 - up 9% compared with the first three quarters of last year, according to the latest research from ACNielsen Canada. After a terrific start in Q1, the video market saw a decline in Q2 only to rebound in Q3 with 6% growth from the same period last year.
The findings come from ACNielsen Canada's Video Game Market Tracker (VGMT), the only information service that analyzes sales of video game software, hardware, and peripherals nationally and in six Canadian regions.
Dollar sales of video games alone rose 28% in September and 19% the first three quarters to $245 million. Unit sales of game consoles were also impressive and jumped 31% in September, with an overall growth of 10% for the year to date.
Darren Elkerton, business manager, Computer Industry Services, ACNielsen Canada, said, "The volume of games being sold in the marketplace is astounding. So far in 2004, game unit sales are up over 34% versus 2003, a pace that is driving the industry. Look for new hardware and big title releases in Q4 to add additional fuel to the industry's performance."
The top 10 video game titles for the third quarter of 2004 based on unit sales are shown below:
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Rank Title Platform
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1 Microsoft Fable Xbox
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2 Activision Spiderman 2 PS2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
3 Electronic Arts NHL 2005 PS2
-----------------------------------------------------------------
4 Jack of All Games ESPN NHL 2K5 PS2
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5 Electronic Arts NHL 2004 PS2
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6 Atari Driv3r PS2
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7 Activision Spiderman 2 Xbox
-----------------------------------------------------------------
8 Nintendo Pokemon Firered GBA
-----------------------------------------------------------------
9 Electronic Arts Madden NFL 2005 PS2
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10 Namco Tales of Symphonia Cube
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Source: ACNielsen Video Game Market Tracker, July-September 2004
