New Zealand’s appetite for games continues to grow at a rapid pace, with sales rising 18 percent year-on-year to NZ$347m in the 2014 financial year.

Traditional retail purchases remained largely static at NZ$130m, but digital sales leapt 34 percent to NZ$217m, according to research released today by the Interactive Games & Entertainment Association (IGEA).

Mobile and subscription-based services again showed the largest percentage increase, continuing the trend established in previous years. According to research conducted by technology analyst firm Telsyte, subscription-based services climbed by 41 percent to NZ$31m, while mobile games and in-app purchases jumped by 43 percent to NZ$132m.

“New major console releases and an ongoing shift towards digital sales clearly show New Zealanders continue to be avid consumers of games across a wide variety of platforms,” said IGEA NZ director Mark Goodacre.

“The strong overall growth of the industry highlights the fact that New Zealanders are exploring a range of ways to purchase video games and hardware, from traditional bricks and mortar stores through to online retailers. New Zealanders are also embracing the new and complimentary ways to play games on mobile and tablet devices.”

According to Telsyte managing director Foad Fadaghi, better internet connectivity will further drive a shift towards digital delivery of content.

“Telsyte expects the arrival of Ultra Fast Broadband will greatly enhance the digital download market and will usher in a new era of gaming for many New Zealanders, including virtual reality and cloud game services,” he said.

Other stats:

◆ Overall console game sales (excluding portables) were down 9.3 percent year-on-year to NZ$55.9 million.

◆ Minecraft sold double what it did in the 2013 financial year.

◆ 59 percent of all games sold received an unrestricted classification