WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s game industry has recorded another year of growth, with sales up 13 per cent on the previous year. The Interactive Games and Entertainment Association (IGEA) released its 2015 report on Thursday.
Traditional retail sales accounted for $136 million, a 4.5 per cent increase on 2014, while digital sales rose 18 per cent to $256 million. These figures cover hardware, packaged games, subscriptions, digital sales, and mobile games, and this growth has been led by a growing install base for current generation consoles, sales of which increased by 67.4 per cent. “The robust growth of New Zealand’s video games industry is testament to a strong gaming culture,” said Ron Curry, the chief executive of IGEA.
“[The] research shows that New Zealanders are keen on early access to games, with one-in-four buyers willing to pay in advance to play a game before the official release date.” Digital sales (mobile, digital games, DLC, and subscriptions) made up 65 per cent of total sales last year, and 29 per cent of new game revenue came from digital games, compared to 23 per cent in 2014.