Market research company Gfk has provided MyGaming with insight into the South African retail lifecycle of AAA gaming titles.
“On average, most of the top selling games will have sold 20% of their lifetime sales by week one. This tendency is becoming stronger with new franchises,” explained Gfk analyst Sónia Sengupta.
The Christmas holiday season typically accounts for a further 20% of the life-time unit sales of the top games released in that year, added Sengupta.
By way of example, Gfk provided data for some of the top-selling AAA titles of yesteryear.
For Black Ops II lifetime sales, 4% were pre-orders while 16% were launch week sales. Assassin’s Creed III lifetime sales tell a similar story, with 4% being pre-orders and 15% sold in launch week.
In the graphs below you can see how sales explode during launch week and then quickly taper off.
Top grossing games lifecycle – Gfk stats, March 2014
Top grossing games during Christmas 2012 period – Gfk stats, March 2014
Do you tend to pre-order or pick up games during their launch week, or do you wait a while before spending your hard-earned dosh? Let us know in the comments and forum.
More gaming news
SA retailers reveal best selling games of 2014 (so far)
Battlefield Hardline confirmed, coming to E3
Forum discussion
Join the conversation