Digital game sales grew 11 percent to $979 million from a year ago, according to market research SuperData.
While that may seem like a good growth rate, the New York company said that sales were more sluggish than usual. Sales usually dip in August, but PC sales and downloadable content for PCs and consoles had a good month with $250 million in revenue.
“With many of the major title releases only a few weeks out, we anticipate a strong resurgence in the coming months as consumers ready themselves,” said Joost van Dreunen, the chief executive of SuperData, in a statement. “Early estimates indicate that the upcoming holiday season may prove to be the industry’s biggest yet, due to the momentum from mainstream consumers adoption of interactive entertainment in combination with the console cycle reaching its zenith.”
Meanwhile, he said he wasn’t that impressed with Apple TV and its gaming exclusives announced on Wednesday. He described it as a “limited gaming platform.”
“Following the usual fanfare from its major press conferences, Apple’s announcement of a more game-focused Apple TV sent a surge of optimism through the game industry,” he said. “Critical to the success of the renewed Apple TV is the availability of new, innovative content. With both industry heavyweights Harmonix and Disney preparing titles for the device, Apple is, at least initially, banking on a more mainstream gamer audience.”
But he added, “This is not surprising, given its massive success with mobile games on the iPhone. But mobile gamers are just that: They prefer to play on their smartphone or tablet and are ultimately much less likely to switch to a large screen in their living room. Similarly, the notion that the Apple TV poses a threat to the console market is poorly informed as the market for dedicated gaming devices is currently at its peak.”