The future is getting increasingly digital, and more games than ever are being consumed digitally. In Sony’s most recent financial report, the tech giant revealed that a majority of games on the PlayStation 4 were purchased digitally. With digital games making up 53% of all software sales, not only does it represent a vast increase from the year prior, it also marks the first time digital sales have surpassed physical sales.
While the big news is, of course, the fact that the PS4 finally exceeded 100 million units sold, there were some other noteworthy news pieces. For the fiscal period of April-June 2019, digital sales on the PlayStation 4 represented 53% of the market. For reference, the digital sales made up 43% of of all software sales only a year prior.
To see digital sales overtake physical sales is unsurprising. Consumption of all forms of media, from television to music, has become increasingly digital, especially with the advent of streaming. Whether it be for convenience or a lack of space, many consumers have opted to buy their games digitally, rather than physically.
It should be noted that this statistic does not include games included with a PlayStation Plus membership. While that is something that could ultimately skew the result, that has no bearing on this. These are games that were purchased by consumers by their own volition.
It’s likely that the percentage of digital purchases will continue to grow, or at least stay in the majority. Many companies are determining how to grapple with this new change. Google made waves for its first foray into the games industry, Stadia, which will be a purely cloud-based platform. Sony, which already has the PlayStation Now streaming platform, recently announced an unprecedented partnership with Microsoft to improve the former’s cloud capabilities.
Do you purchase most of your games digitally, or do you prefer to keep things physical? Let us know!
