Record sales in 2004

I always said that 2004 was one of the finest gaming year's ever and sales seem to back this up. Figures released today show that all format sales totalled £1.34 billion in the UK last year, a rise of 6.6% on 2003 (ELSPA). Sales are no barometer of quality mind, but it's good to see those cash-tills ringing even if sales were skewed disproportionately towards a few huge-selling titles. Chief amongst these was GTA: San Andreas, which has sold a mind-boggling 1.75million copies to date. Will 2005 continue the sales rise? New handheld hardware will shift units, but there will be fewer blockbusters this year - no GTA or Half Life games are likely - which may help throw the spotlight on some lesser-selling, but potentially more original, new titles.