NPD Group Set To Track European Countries

The NPD Group has announced its intention to track video game spending in several European countries and provide a European version of its games industry report. The Total Consumer Spend Service report currently covers sales estimates across all video games and media in the U.S., including new and used retail sales, social network games, rentals, subscriptions and more. The new service in Europe is set to track those channels which are currently not covered, including those occurring outside of new physical retail sales. The group explained that the new report is in aid of gaining a broader global insight, as well as providing market comparisons across different geographies. The new report will initially cover the United Kingdom, France and Germany, with further expansion planned in major Asian markets, and will begin tracking at the start of the fourth quarter of this year. Anita Frazier, industry analyst for the NPD Group, explained, "The new digital distribution channels in video games are not country specific." "They are global in nature, which is why NPD is taking its proven, proprietary methodology, developed over a number of years, and applying it to a global perspective."