2008 Japanese game retail tallied, tumbled
Has it really come to this? Not even a DS hardware revision could salvage another woeful year for Japanese game retailers. Despite closing on a high note, 2008 marked a 15 percent decline in retail sales from the previous year. Hardware sales accounted for the biggest drop, managing a paltry ¥250.5 billion ($2.6b) in revenue -- down 23.5 percent from 2007. Software sales fared better, falling only 7.9 percent to a total of ¥332 billion ($3.5b).
Internally, Japan is suffering through a recession, and, externally, global economic factors have crippled the country's export trade for some time. It's not just high-priced electronics that are turning off foreign consumers, though, in some cases it's the quality of goods. Exhibit A: Only one Japanese-designed game managed to crack our annual Top 10. (Hint: Not Wii Fit.)
[Image credit: goodcatmum]
