Video games kill the music star Sitegeist

Venue owners and managers would do well to note that video games now top the charts, ahead of other entertainment media such as music cds and films. Sat Bal (25 Mar'09)

Research conducted in November last year by analysts at Verdict  predicted that sales of games would outstrip sales of music and video in 2009. These predictions have been reinforced by the sales success of Resident Evil 5, propelling it to the status of biggest game of the year so far.

Stats issued for the 18-rated game claim that Resident Evil 5 outsold all titles in the UK Singles Chart, based on physical and digital sales of UK Top 200. It has also outsold U2's chart-topping new album's sales since release on 13 March in just one weekend.  Resident Evil 5 is also reported to have grossed more than the top five films combined in the UK that weekend according to film source IMDB.com.

The Resident Evil franchise as a whole has sold over 40 million units worldwide and shipped four million copies globally to date.

Leo Tan of game manufacturer Capcom said "This is proof if any were needed that games are the entertainment medium of choice in 2009. Thanks to its strong storyline, amazing graphics and compelling co-op play, Resident Evil 5 provides hundreds of hours of entertainment at a relatively low cost - and it's this value for money that consumers are increasingly responding to."


Resident Evil 5 is out now, on PlayStation 3 and XBox360, rated 18, RRP £34.99

RK  _________________________________________