The NPD Group released figures yesterday covering all industry sales including hardware and this morning, following that report, comes the Interactive Digital Software Association Interactive Digital Software Association (IDSA) report stating that the industry grew 8% to a record-breaking $6.9 billion USD during 2002. According to numbers released today by the IDSA, and compiled by NPDFunworld and NPDTechworld, U.S. sales of console games hit $5.5 billion while PC games hit $1.4 billion. These numbers come on top of 2001 figures of $6.35 billion for total sales, with consoles accounting for $4.6 billion and PCs for $1.75 billion.

As with previous years, the IDSA continued its report by revealing that the majority of titles sold fit under the “E” for everyone rating (55.7%), followed by "Teen" (T) rated games (27.6%), and by "Mature" (M) rated games (13.2%). PC game sales broke down into: strategy games (27.4%), children's games (15.9%) and shooter games (11.5%), followed by family entertainment titles (9.6%), role-playing games (8%), sports titles (6.3%), racing (4.4%), simulation (4.1%), and fighting games (0.1%). All in all, the IDSA continues, 80% of the top console games fit into the “E” or “T” ratings, while 90% of the top PC titles were “E” or “T”

"The record-breaking sales of computer and video games in 2002 will continue in the years ahead as more ground-breaking games are introduced, hardware prices come down, and the audience for games broadens and deepens," said IDSA president Douglas Lowenstein. "Indeed, we believe that 2003 will be the peak year of the current hardware cycle, with software sales surging at least 10% yet again, and perhaps considerably more depending on other external factors."

"One obvious trend apparent from the 2002 data is that console software is capturing an even greater share of the market than ever before, accounting for 80% of industry software sales compared with 65% five years ago," Lowenstein said. "Again, this is another reflection of the fact that the market for consoles is aging and broadening far beyond its original base of teenage boys."