Sales of legal video games have fallen in Russia

In Russia, a significant drop in demand for video games legally imported into the country on discs and other physical media has been recorded. Over six months in the country, sales fell four times compared to the same period last year (to 133 thousand units), and the cost showed an increase of 75%, reports RBC with reference to the Russian Association of Distributors and Importers of Video Games.

According to analysts, the trend is due to high prices for legal products. Thus, according to them, many are unable to give such large sums of money when the same product can be found on the “gray market” at a lower price.

The organization notes that most counterfeit products are distributed through marketplaces.

The companies Wildberries and Ozon reported an increase in video game sales by 2.5-3.5 times. Representatives of marketplaces emphasized that the sites check sellers. According to them, the share of counterfeit products has been reduced to “virtually zero.”

It was previously reported that in 2023, every fifth Russian who plays video games increased the time they spent in the virtual world, and expenses for such a hobby increased by 20%. Research data from SberMarketing, Check Index and Rambler shows that the main age of gamers is from 25 to 44 years old and the absolute majority of respondents (60%) prefer games on desktop PCs.