2006 A Record Year for U.K. Videogame Sales

According to the Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association (ELSPA), sales of "interactive entertainment software," which include games for all consoles as well as the computer, increased by 7 percent in 2006 and set new sales records.

The U.K. game industry reported 65.1 million units shipped in 2006 for a total revenue increase of 1 percent over the 2005 figures. Although virtually every category of game sales saw an increase, PC game sales independently increased by 7 percent, making them the category with the largest growth over the past year. This figure is surprising to some given the popularity of portable gaming devices and the introduction of next-generation consoles.

The Director General of the ELSPA, Paul Jackson, commented that "although there are new consoles and handhelds for gamers it is great to see that the PC market is doing so well."