UK digital game sales generated over £500m in 2012 - report

A report to be published by Entertainment Retailers Association later this morning is expected to announce that digital game sales were up almost 8% in 2012, equating to sales of over £500 million.

MCV has seen the report ahead of time, and states that overall, sales of digital content in the UK amounted to over £1 billion in 2012. Games made up around half of this figure at £552 million. It is the highest tally for UK digital sales on record.

Overall digital sales rose 11.4% and now make up a quarter of the entire entertainment market. The site adds that physical entertainment sales have slipped by 17.6%.

ERA director general Kim Bayley stated in the report, "This reflects their huge investment in new and innovative services – which means you can buy music, video and games literally at any time of the day and wherever you are.

"At the same time I suspect that many people will be surprised to learn just how resilient the physical business still is, with three-quarters of entertainment sales still on disc.

"Downloads offer convenience and portability, but people still seem to value the quality and tangibility of a physical product."

Did you buy into digital in a big way throughout 2012? Are you still a fan of the physical medium? Let us know below.