Research shows $3.5 billion spent on video game content in the U.S. during the first quarter of 2013

According to the 2012 Games Market Dynamics: U.S.* report from global information company, The NPD Group, in addition to the $1.37 billion spent in the U.S. by consumers on new physical video and PC game software during the first quarter (January - March) of 2013 (Q1'13), the total consumer spend on other physical forms of content (used and rental) reached $559 million, and content in the digital format (full game and add-on content downloads, subscriptions, mobile games and social network games) generated $1.59 billion. Total consumer content spend totaled $3.5 billion, representing flat spending when compared to the $3.5 billion spent in Q1'12.

"Digital spending fully offset the declines in physical format spend in Q1'13," said Liam Callahan, industry analyst, The NPD Group. "There is strong growth in full-game downloads and downloadable add-on content sales across consoles, PCs, and portables, up a combined 25 percent in the first quarter of this year."

Methodology

The estimates are published in NPD's report, Games Market Dynamics: U.S. (formerly known as the Games Industry: Total Consumer Spend) -released by The NPD Group quarterly - and are derived leveraging NPD's portfolio of physical POS tracking (Retail Tracking Service) and consumer research including the Games Acquisition Monitor, Video Game and PC Game Subscriptions Report and Consumer Tracking Service. It also incorporates consumer spend estimation provided by NPD retail and publisher partners, and calibration with third-party sources.