Despite major publishers swearing never to go all-digital, physical game sales continue to slow as more and more people seemingly choose convenience over collection. A massive 75% of all game sales in the UK last month, 1.74 million, were digital, up 10% year-over-year since last August.
This occurrence was noted by GameIndustry.biz's Christopher Dring, who notes that last month was a quiet time for games, with a drop of 1.5% in comparison to the previous year (although Ubisoft's Star Wars Outlaws is not included, with collated UK market data ending on the 24th). Somehow, GTA 5 remained the month's best-selling game, with GTA Online in the number four spot.
Insider Gaming's Grant Taylor-Hill has a few theories about why UK gamers are increasingly choosing the digital option. Firstly, digital gaming has only become easier and more accessible, with consoles offering larger storage drives and price parity continuing to stabilise. Internet speeds are increasing constantly, and for more and more, simply downloading a game takes less time than going to a retail store. Plus, with the death of the midnight launch, digital preorders allow nocturnal gamers to dive in the second a game unlocks.
Speaking of retail, Taylor-Hill says that's a factor in the UK, with retailer GAME representing the only real "high street presence" in the region. It was recently reported that GAME would stop stocking games (a report which it quickly denied), and while we can't see physical games ever truly disappearing from store shelves, it's clear which way the wind is blowing.