Sources reveal that this year more gamers have preferred to buy digital copies of their favorite titles instead of getting physical ones.
According to recent data by Newzoo via GamesIndustry.biz, many console gamers have been buying digital copies this year instead of physical boxed copies. Since the pandemic hit two years ago, more and more gamers have now preferred to buy games digitally so they could be safe from getting infected with the COVID virus. Instead of going to the mall or their favorite retail shops, they could just download the games directly to their consoles safely in their homes.
The gap in the percentage of sales between digital and boxed copies is so wide that boxed copy sales cannot compete at all against digital sales. Boxed copy sales only amounted to 28 percent in the console market while digital sales got a whopping 72 percent in sales. The global physical game revenue for this year is $10.7 billion while the global digital game revenue is a huge $173.8 billion. Note that these sales had records last in November 2022.
Pandemic restrictions have been less strict these days so there could be a return of physical game sales next year.
