UK consumers spent £2.9 billion on games last year - report

Consumers across Britain spent some £2.9 billion on games in 2012, according to a new report from MCV. The report finds that spend on boxed games dropped by 26% year-on-year, while digital rocketed.

The report was formed using MCV's own data as well as figures pulled form several analysts and industry score-keepers.

Total consumer spend was £2.892 billion, of which £655 million was attributed to digital sales, which are said to be up 25.9% on 2011.

Boxed sales continue to dominate with an estimated £1.045 billion in sales for 2012, but have also dropped year-on-year by 26%, suggesting that console fatigue and the prominence of digital sales are starting taking their toll. The number remains large however.

The dip is underlined by a fall in console sales of 28.7%, equating to some £454 million in sales in 2012. Both the drop in boxed game and hardware sales suggest that new formats are needed. Luckily, the timing of next-gen announcements could rekindle interest in the home console market going into the next fiscal year.

You can check out more of MCV's stats here.

What do you think of the figures? Could next-gen announcements like PS4 and the eventual new Xbox spark new interest in console and boxed sales? Let us know below.