According to the NPD, in 2009 almost half of all PC games that were sold were sold through digital distribution platforms such as Steam, Direct2Drive, and others. Roughly 21.3 million units were sold through digital distribution means, compared to 23.5 million units that were purchased through conventional retailers.
It should be noted that while digital distribution accounts for 48% of all units sold in 2009, it only accounted for 36% of the dollar sales. Meaning, consumers are either spending a lot less on digital releases by way of a multitude of sales, or they're buying a lot of smaller releases such as casual games.
These figures were provided by the NPD research group and compiled by VentureBeat.
It should be noted that while digital distribution accounts for 48% of all units sold in 2009, it only accounted for 36% of the dollar sales. Meaning, consumers are either spending a lot less on digital releases by way of a multitude of sales, or they're buying a lot of smaller releases such as casual games.
Top 5 Frontline Digital Retailers - 2009 (based on unit % share)
1. Steampowered.com
2. Direct2drive.com
3. Blizzard.com
4. EA.com
5. Worldofwarcraft.com
Top 5 Casual Digital Retailers - 2009 (based on unit % share)
1. Bigfishgames.com
2. Pogo.com
3. Gamehouse.com
4. iWin.com
5. Realarcade.com
1. Steampowered.com
2. Direct2drive.com
3. Blizzard.com
4. EA.com
5. Worldofwarcraft.com
Top 5 Casual Digital Retailers - 2009 (based on unit % share)
1. Bigfishgames.com
2. Pogo.com
3. Gamehouse.com
4. iWin.com
5. Realarcade.com
These figures were provided by the NPD research group and compiled by VentureBeat.