IGN reports that the Interactive Entertainment Association of Australia (IEAA) recently announced that 2007 game industry sales weighed in at $1.3 billion. This represents a 43% increase from the previous year ($925 million in 2006).

Independent market research group GfK Australia reported that 15.4 million games were sold in 2007; IGN adds, though, that these figures do not include games purchased via digital distribution.

The handheld market in Australia saw a major boost in 2007, with 2.3 million Nintendo DS titles jumping off store shelves (as compared to only 840,000 in 2006).

Nintendo Australia's PR Coordinator, Heather Murphy, commented on the results: "The gaming industry is no longer a niche market; the market has broadened. Nintendo has such a wide variety of games available to cater for everyone - games for the family, core gamers, young females, even seniors."

Source: IGN Australia