South African gaming sales are stable, but the local retail gaming industry is battling to show growth as interest rates climb and the value of the Rand negatively affects the prices of gaming products.
This is according to BT Games Marketing Manager Karl Klopfer, who added that they are trying to keep prices as low as possible.
“We continue to work with publishers and distributors to keep prices as low as possible, but there is only so much we can do, as the rand exchange rate really determines our pricing,” said Klopfer.
He said that he expects gaming sales to be flat this year. “It will be challenging to see a shift towards growth over the medium term, unless we see a sharp strengthening of the rand and exciting new repertoire news from E3,” said Klopfer.
He added that key triple-A new releases expected this year are crucial to the local gaming industry’s success.
“These include titles like Uncharted 4, Doom, Mafia 3 and a new World of Warcraft – plus of course the usual annual top sellers expected, such as a new Fifa and Call of Duty,” said Klopfer.
BT Games’ gaming plans
Klopfer said that BT Games will continue to drive unique offers to gamers in South Africa.
This includes the option to trade in unwanted games for a credit, and additional trade value when trading against a pre-order.
Other cool initiatives include discounted pre-order pricing, aggressive sales, and the largest range of gaming products.
“We will do all we can to offer value to our gamer customers,” said Klopfer.
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