NPD: 90% of game sales during Q3 2009 happened at retail

The NPD Group has revealed that 90 percent of all new and used console sales, add-ons, song packs and rentals were made from physical retail or rental services during the third-quarter of 2009.

Comparatively, 79 percent of games acquired for portable, PC/MAC, mobile and smartphones, were also purchased in physical format.

Dual format (digital and physical) purchasers, which represent 19 percent of buyers bringing in 40 percent of dollar volume, were found to be under the age of 35, with 70 percent purchasing both formats compared to digital-only purchasers which made up 46 percent.

During Q3 '09, PC, Mac and consoles proved to be "the most popular platforms among gamers, followed by portable systems and cell phones", with smartphones ranking the lowest.  Xbox 360, PSP and DSi owners showed a tendency for cross-usage with iPhone and iPod Touch for gaming when compared to other platform users.

"While physical retail product remains the driving force behind industry sales, the role of digital distribution in the games ecosystem continues to climb," said NPD's Anita Frazier. "Publishers and retailers must keep an eye on the current state of the marketplace and must map ahead for future strategies."

Also mentioned in the report, was that 4 percent of gamers (6 million consumers) admitted to using P2P services with 72 percent of pirated downloads occurring for PC and Mac.