Digital and physical gaming-data firms team up to give broader insight into the market

Game companies rarely want to share data about how their products perform, but two intelligence firms are partnering to help expose as much information as possible.

SuperData Research is now working with GfK Entertainment to provide monthly sales charts that combine digital and physical data in markets across Europe. Gaming is a $99 billion business, according to intelligence firm Newzoo, and understanding where that spending is happening is crucial to companies trying to figure out how to invest in this sector. SuperData has provided charts for digital games for a few years now while GfK has made its name tracking game sales at retail outlets. Their combined data should prove especially helpful in decoding a dynamic console-gaming segment that is slowly transitioning from discs to digital distribution.

Digital game sales are up 24 percent year-over-year on consoles, according to SuperData. That generated $6.25 billion in spending across platforms like the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Wii U. In recent weeks, SuperData has reported that games like Call of Duty: Black Ops III, FIFA 16, and Grand Theft Auto V are among the top-grossing digital games on consoles.

SuperData and GfK both acknowledge that a chart that combines physical and digital is something that their clients want, and it is something that The NPD Group — a key data firm in the United States — is working toward providing in its monthly reports.