The UK is getting a combined physical and digital games chart

A combined physical and digital games chart is finally coming to the UK. At the moment, the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA) supplies GfK with exclusive data on boxed game sales. GfK's charts are considered the gold standard because of its relationship with the ERA, which counts GAME, Amazon and the nation's top supermarkets among its members. Now, the ERA has announced that its exclusivity deal with GfK will end in January 2019. Around the same time, it will start working with the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) and data services provider B2Boost on charts that include both physical and digital sales.

According to Gamesindustry.biz, ISFE and B2Boost are already trialling a download chart for the UK. It's not clear, however, just how many of the major console and marketplace providers are on board — a reflective multi-platform chart, for instance, would require representation from Nintendo (eShop), Sony (PSN), Microsoft (Xbox Store) and Valve (Steam). There are also publisher-specific portals to consider, such as EA's Origin and the Blizzard Shop. Anything close to what NPD offers in the US would, however, be a dramatic improvement for the UK and offer a more accurate picture of industry trends. Fingers crossed it all comes together nicely.