Beating out Blu-ray, CDs, and other platforms
The Entertainment Retailer’s Association (ERA) has issued statistics charting the UK sales of all “entertainment products” for 2022 so far — and it seems that the British public cannot get enough of Nintendo Switch games, with their physical iteration being the highest-grossing media available on the high street.
Boxed Nintendo Switch titles have raked in a healthy £88.7 million (around $102m USD) in revenue since January 1, 2022, outselling PlayStation’s PS4 & PS5 releases (£79.6 million) and Xbox One and Series releases (£17.8 million). Away from gaming, Switch titles even outsold other forms of physical media, including music CDs (£68.9 million), DVDs (£66.8 million), and Blu-rays (£52.1 million).
Interestingly, vinyl album sales have skyrocketed, and sit in second place with a hefty revenue count of £79.6 million. This is somewhat understandable, as much of the entertainment scene has made the shift to digital formats, whereas vinyl collectors are highly unlikely to make such a move to the digital sphere. Oh, and also, vinyl albums cost a fucking fortune.
“Vinyl’s rise and rise seems unstoppable,” notes ERA CEO Kim Bayley. “For a 74-year-old analogue format to eclipse the digital-age technology of games platforms is quite extraordinary. 10 years into its long climb back to favour, the vinyl revival is most definitely here to stay.”
Ironically, despite sitting on top of the pile, Nintendo Switch UK sales have actually decreased from last year, with sales down around 12% when compared to the same period in 2021. Of the aforementioned formats, only PlayStation games, Blu-ray, and vinyl saw any growth on the previous year’s chart.
