Almost a quarter of PS4, Xbox One and Wii U owners are waiting for a Black Friday bonanza before buying games.
That data is courtesy of Ipsos Mori’s GameTrack research, conducted on behalf of MCV.
The figures showed that - across all types of gamers - 16 per cent say they’re waiting for Black Friday discounting to pick up this Christmas’ biggest blockbusters.
13 per cent of gamers say they will buy consoles and/or games on that day, instead of at other times.
The figures show how the sales event has had a fundamental impact on the way consumers are buying products at Christmas. 85 per cent of gamers are aware of Black Friday, GameTrack figures show.
Yet, despite its impact on their buying habits, 32 per cent of those surveyed said they actively dislike the idea of the sales event.
Black Friday is historically a US promotion, and launched in the UK as part of an Amazon campaign five years ago. Last year it took off in a major way when multiple other retailers started their own activity.
Black Friday this year takes place on November 27th.
GAME boss Martyn Gibbs told MCV last month how he expects this year’s event to be even bigger than 2014 and, despite the damage it is doing to video game margins, views it as a way to attract new customers.
“It’s not about just one day for us,” said Gibbs. “It’s about the opportunity of recruiting tens of thousands of new customers into our ecosystem.”
In more positive news, 11 per cent of gamers familiar with Black Friday said that they would likely end up buying more games and consoles as a result of the discounting.
These figures were part of research conducted by Ipsos Mori, which spoke to 1,899 consumers across the UK – including 1,501 who identify themselves as gamers.

http://www.mcvuk.com/news/read/quart...friday/0158586