According to a new report by the European Union, piracy actually has an overall positive impact on the video game industry by increasing game sales by 24%.
Part of the report states the following..
“For games, the estimated effect of illegal online transactions on sales is positive – implying that illegal consumption leads to increased legal consumption. This positive effect of illegal downloads and streams on the sales of games may be explained by the industry being successful in converting illegal users to paying users. Tactics used by the industry include, for example, offering gameplay with extra bonuses or extra levels if consumers pay.”
It’s also worth noting that this report only states numbers for Europe and not other regions around the world.
