UNDERSTANDING GAMERS IN EUROPE
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CONTENTS Gender ...........................................3 Age .................................................3 Socio-economic status ................4 Geo-demographics .....................6 Conclusion .....................................7
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GENDER
As of late 2014 the average ratio of genders of gamers in the top 4 EU countries were:
Gender
UK
France
Germany
Spain
Male
58%
49%
52%
52%
Female
42%
51%
48%
48%
Source: http://www.isfe.eu
Broken down into a visual representation of the data we find that: The UK has the most male gamers France has the most female gamers Germany, France and Spain are almost equally balanced between the two.
AGE
The ages of gamers in the top 4 EU countries has been broken down to find out what age groups play the most games in each country. As of late 2014 the percentage of the different age groups is: Age group
UK
France
Germany
Spain
6-10
70%
91%
72%
85%
11-14
75%
94%
86%
85%
15-24
55%
88%
78%
63%
25-34
40%
70%
64%
51%
35-44
35%
61%
53%
34%
45-54
23%
39%
32%
18%
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Source: http://www.isfe.eu
Age Group breakdown in Europe 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 6-10yrs
11-14yrs UK
15-24yrs France
25-34yrs Germany
35-44yrs
45-54yrs
Spain
Here we can see that the breakdown of the age groups of gamers for each country. We find that:
Gamers from 11-14 are the majority in the UK France has the highest percentage of gamers of the top 4 EU countries The UK has the lowest percentage of gamers that the top 4 EU countries
SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS
Here we aim to look at the purchasing trends for gamers, to look at their spending habits when it comes to buying games.
During the last year before August 2014, more than a quarter (26%) of all physical games spend was for teens (13-19 year old), either via their own purchase or purchase made by others (mainly parents). This is more than the spending for DVDs and physical music combined (13% and 12% respectively spent for teens). (Kantar Worldpanel, Aug 2014)
During the last 52 weeks prior to the 28th of September 2014, the average games shopper has bought 3.2 games, and spent over £89 on mint games. (Kantar Worldpanel)
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During the last 52 weeks prior to the 28th of September 2014, the 25-29 year olds spent most on games, with an average spend of £112. (Kantar Worldpanel)
35% of all games buyers bought a pre-owned title in 2014 – on
average buying 3 pre-owned games throughout the year. Those who did purchase a pre-owned title spent on average £32.50 and 41% of the pre-owned purchases last year were planned purchases. (Kantar Worldpanel, Feb 2015)
55% of female game buyers are only ever buying games for other people. (Kantar Worldpanel, June 2015, data looking at 52 w/e 12 th April 2015)
On average they spend less in total than their male counterparts, £78 a year on average vs. £119 for men. The stark contrast in spend is in turn driven by simply buying fewer titles, around 4 a year for women and 7 for men. (Kantar Worldpanel, June 2015, data looking at 52 w/e 12th April 2015)
Source: http://www.ukie.org.uk
We can see that the older gamers (25-29) are more likely to spend the most money on new games, compared to parents for buying for their children (13-19). We can then theorise that the most profitable age group to target when designing a new game is the 25-29yr age group. Also, it is worth noting that 35% of gamers bought a pre-owned title, suggesting that gamers are looking for cheaper games or will wait for pre-owned copies of a new game to save money. Roughly half of female game buyers only buy for other people, this could include parents buying games for their children, or gifts. Also, the spending amount is lower as fewer titles are bought compared to men, suggesting perhaps female buyers are more money conscious and logical when making purchases compared to men.
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GEO-DEMOGRAPHICS
Here we look at the sales of games and consoles in Europe to the rest of the world.
Game Hardware
Europe (Total)
UK (Total)
France (Total)
Germany (Total)
Xbox 1
3,571,864
1,736,937
507,736
387,438
PS4
9,695,716
2,169,441
1,435,328
1,783,150
WiiU
2,365,776
492,622
617,183
532,268
Source: http://www.vgchartz.com
Hardware Sales 12,000,000 10,000,000 8,000,000 6,000,000 4,000,000 2,000,000 0 Xbox 1 Europe (Total)
PS4 UK (Total)
France (Total)
WiiU Germany (Total)
Here we can see the visual breakdown of hardware sales in each region, compared to an overall sales total. Previously we saw that the UK has the least percentage of gamers between Germany and France, however the sales figures of these consoles tell us that the UK has bought the most Xbox 1s and PS4s. This tells us that next gen gaming in the UK is at a bigger trend than the rest of Europe.
Now we compare the software sales of each region on the 3 main consoles. 6|Page
Software
Europe (Total)
UK (Total)
France (Total)
Germany (Total)
Xbox 1
20,931,562
9,226,355
3,254,251
3,012,493
PS4
49,165,283
11,856,735
7,490,461
9,135,086
WiiU
14,590,729
3,554,706
4,012,512
3,771,697
Source: http://www.vgchartz.com
Software Sales in Europe 60,000,000 50,000,000 40,000,000 30,000,000 20,000,000 10,000,000 0 Xbox 1 Europe (Total)
PS4 UK (Total)
France (Total)
WiiU Germany (Total)
Here we again the PS4 is doing quite well in Europe, with the UK purchasing the most PS4 and Xbox 1 titles. It should be noted that while the WiiU might not have been as popular as its predecessor, its sales are catching up to the next gen consoles and in the case of France and Germany, beating sales of the Xbox 1.
CONCLUSION
We could conclude that, given the data we have gathered that a game studio looking to release a game in Europe could find:
Good sales in the UK Good sales on the PS4, followed by the Xbox 1 Players ranging between 6-24yrs of age 7|Page
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Most players would be male demograhpic
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