UK game sales hit four year low

GfK Chart-Track has said that UK game sales hit a four year low last week, pinning the blame firmly on the lack of new releases.

Digital Spy quotes statistics from the company, saying the games trade saw a 24 percent drop last week, with unit sales down 21 percent to 652,382 games sold.

Chris Poole, senior accountant at Chart-Track, told the site, "Essentially it comes down to what is being released, Easter was relatively quiet, really, and many people will be holding back for the big titles to come. I also imagine it is a combination of things, such as the weather.

"We're also coming down from the big highs of Modern Warfare 2< and the like, it is understandable the market would hit an eventual low. "But aside from that, there are no big indicators for the reason behind the fall. Week 16 last year was a lot higher, and there were no major releases that week either." This month should help the industry pick up, with big releases such as Alan Wake, Split/Second, Blur and Modnation Racers all set to hit the shelves.