A recent report conducted by Ipsos MORI’s GameTrack for MCV found that pre-orders in the UK have plummeted, with approximately 20% of gamers either pre-ordering fewer titles or not pre-ordering at all.
Nine percent of respondents stated that they no longer pre-ordered games as much as they have in the past, while eleven percent did not pre-order a single game.
Only five percent of respondents stated that they had increased their pre-orders, while ten percent did not change their pre-ordering habits.
According to the study, there are two major reasons why pre-orders have declined in recent years: consumers spending money on non-gaming items, and waiting for price drops to occur.
The study did not limit itself to simply covering the UK, as it also found that pre-orders had dropped twelve percent across the UK, France, Spain, and Germany.
It would seem that this dramatic decline in pre-ordering stems from a lack of consumer confidence. The desire to wait for price drops implies that gamers are wary of AAA releases at launch and want to give each title a chance in the wild before putting down any money.
As publishers continue to increase pre-order incentives, it would appear that gamers are simultaneously growing weary of the constant sales pitch. This vicious cycle of increased incentives leading to pre-order declines seems like it will only get worse as time goes on.