Report: Used, Digital Sales Make Up 35% Of U.S. Console Spending

A new report from market analysis firm NewZoo estimates that pre-owned and digital content makes up a combined 35 percent of all console game spending in the U.S. A full 23 percent of U.S. console gaming dollars go to pre-owned games, with 12 percent going towards digital content, according to the report. Both ratios are lower in Europe, where 20 percent of console game spending goes towards pre-owned titles and 9 percent goes to downloads. Across console and PC players, 85 percent said they sometimes purchased used games, while 25 percent told Newzoo they spent a majority of their gaming money on pre-owned titles. Digital downloads, meanwhile, are only purchased by 54 percent of the estimated 36 million American console owners. Those downloaders spend an average of $49 a year on console downloads, contributing to an estimated total console download market of $960 million for 2011. On the PC alone, Newzoo estimates that 58 percent of all gaming spending is on downloadable games and content, well above a 42 percent average across Europe. NPD does not include used or digital sales in its regular monthly reports on the U.S. game industry, though it does periodically release limited data on these markets. An NPD report from last October estimated that revenue from non-new-retail sources -- including pre-owned games and downloads as well as rentals, subscriptions, and social/mobile titles -- made up roughly 40 to 45 percent of the total video game market in the first half of 2010.