EEDAR’s research on downloadable content from console storefronts

It’s a fact: gaming publishers will make more money if they will peddle games as downloadable content through any of the available “console storefronts”: Wii’s Virtual Console, Microsoft‘s Xbox Live Arcade, and Sony‘s PlayStation Network. Before publishers choose which type of game to produce and for what console, here are some numbers that they need to chew on first. Click on full article to check them out.

According to EEDAR (Electronic Entertainment Design and Research), game publishers can now tap into a relatively new facet of gaming industry: downloadable content, also known as “console storefronts”. Their research showed that gaming publishers have the potential to double their profits if they will create or distribute games as downloadable content through consoles that are connected online.

So, if you’re a developer and you’re planning to publish downloadable games on any of the three next-gen consoles, here are some numbers about downloadable content that you need to chew on:

So far, games that provide both downloadable demos and trailers manage to net 69% more income compared to games that do not offer demos or trailers.

Nintendo Wii has the largest number of downloadable games (the Wii distributes 51% of all 187 downloadable games currently available on all console storefronts). On the other hand, Microsoft‘s Xbox 360 has the most number of original titles available for purchase online. Sony‘s PlayStation 3 currently holds the record of charging the most for its content.

Another interesting tidbit that surfaced in EEDAR’s research is that 94% of downloadable games from the Arcade genre are re-releases from previous console systems.