PORT WASHINGTON, NEW YORK, October 15, 2010 – According to the soon-to-be-released Games Industry: Total Consumer Spend report from leading market research company, The NPD Group, in addition to the $3.7 billion spent in the U.S. by consumers on new physical video and PC game software in the first half of 2010, the total consumer spend on content via other monetization methods, including used games, game rentals, subscriptions, digital full game downloads, social network games, downloadable content, and mobile game apps., is estimated in the range of $2.6 to $2.9 billion.

Based on this research, while dollars spent by consumers on new physical retail items (hardware, content and accessories) still accounts for the majority of the total consumer spend on the industry, the total consumer spend on the industry is nearly 40 percent larger than new physical retail sales alone.

“While the new physical retail channel still generates the majority of industry sales, our expanded research coverage allows us to assess the total consumer spend across the growing number of ways to acquire and experience gaming, including social networks,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “Through a combination of point-of-sale and consumer research tracking, The NPD Group is providing an expanded, more comprehensive measure of a dynamic and rapidly changing games industry.”