Most video game sales charts omit digital sales. You realise how silly that is when you read statistics like this - market research firm SuperData reports that the digital PC market in the UK last year was worth £741 million, while boxed copies sold only £30 million.
As if you needed any more convincing that the industry needs to reconsider the manner in which it records a game’s success, digital sales are up nine per cent from 2013, while physical sales are down thirty per cent in the same period.
Overall, the PC software segment grew three per cent from 2013 to 2014 - from £749 million to £771 million - largely thanks to that growth in digital sales. In comparison, the digital market on consoles was worth only £118 million in the UK last year. This is almost certainly down to Microsoft and Sony’s reluctance to lower digital game prices, and the lack of notable seasonal sales and one-off flash deals that platforms like Steam have made a key part of their strategy.
In a sane world, if digital sales were included in video game sales charts, MCV points out that Colossal Order’s excellent city-builder Cities: Skylines would have been the UK’s best-selling game across all platforms during the week beginning March 8, rather than FIFA 15, GTA V, or Techland’s Dying Light.