EEDAR: Over 50% of 2009 Game Sales Came from Titles Released in Previous Years

IndustryGamers recently spoke with Greg Short, Executive Chairman at Electronic Entertainment Design and Research (EEDAR), in advance of his presentation at the 2nd annual [a]list Summit, a conference in Napa,CA put together by the marketing experts at the Ayzenberg Group.  

Short stressed the importance of a strong marketing campaign and brand awareness and he went into detail on three successful launches: Resident Evil 5, UFC 2009 Undisputed, and Call of Duty: World at War.  We'll be bringing you more on EEDAR's findings related to these game launches in the coming days, but first we want to highlight two key points for 2009's game sales for the first half of the year.  

First, EEDAR has discovered that more than 50% of all 2009 game sales in the U.S. from January to June came from titles released in previous years. A quick glance at the top 10 selling titles (based on data from The NPD Group - see below) shows only a handful of games released this year (see the four bolded below). Why is that? Well, the Wii's popularity and its “evergreen” titles like Wii Fit, Wii Play and Mario Kart Wii no doubt have played a big part in this trend.  

1. Wii Fit (May 2008)
2. Resident Evil 5 (March 2009)
3. Pokemon Platinum  (March 2009)
4. Call of Duty: World at War (November 2008)
5. UFC 2009: Undisputed (May 2009)
6. Wii Play w/ remote (February 2007)
7. Mario Kart Wii (April 2008)
8. Street Fighter IV (February 2009)
9. Guitar Hero World Tour (October 2008)
10. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga (November 2007)

“The Wii is changing things quite a lot as a platform, and the DS as well. One of things that we're really noticing with those is that the sales curves are very non-traditional,” Short told us. “They're a lot more evergreen and extended, and also the demographic there isn't as focused on what's the latest and greatest hit. If the game looks good and fun and is available at retail, people will buy it. I think that's the biggest challenge at retail these days, with the number of games that come out making sure there is shelf space for the long tail.” 

He continued, “The other part too is looking at the comps this year, there haven't been that many really big titles this year, which is why we've been seeing some declines. There were a couple earlier in the year, but now it seems like people have been holding out for this Christmas. ... So part of it has to do with the shifting consumers and the types of games they're looking for and buying, and another part I think has to be that this year to date simply hasn't had as many big games come out compared to previous years.” 

Check out the next page for some interesting points on original vs. existing and licensed IP...