Last year, it was declared by the NPD Group that retail PC games were still outselling their digital counterparts. Now, for the first half of 2010, it has been revealed that the tables have turned. Digital sales now outnumber retail sales in the PC market.
Between January and June of this year, PC games have sold 11.2 million digital copies versus 8.2 physical ones. That said, however, physical copies still generate 57% more revenue, which is likely the result of higher prices and less absolutely ludicrous (yet very welcome) sales.
This is still really good news for digital outlets like Steam and Bigfish. Looks like the digital marketplace has become a massive part of the PC market. Now if only the likes of Sony and Microsoft would actually look at what PC distributors are doing right, rather than throwing a $40 PSP game onto the PSN and expecting us to lap it up like grateful dogs.
NPD: Digital Trumps Physical In PC Standalone Game Unit Sales [Gamasutra]
