UK Video Game Sales Experience Decline on Black Friday

The UK video game market witnessed a decline in sales during November, with a total of over three million games sold, representing a 33% drop compared to the same period last year, according to GSD data. However, two significant factors contributed to this decline: the release of Call of Duty in October this year, as opposed to November last year, and the absence of Black Friday sales data in this year's November figures. As a result, December's sales are expected to be significantly higher. Available Black Friday data reveals that 1.53 million games were sold during the week, marking an 8% decline from Black Friday 2023. The absence of Black Friday data skews the overall statistics. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 maintained its top spot, followed by EA Sports FC 25, which experienced a 22% decline in sales compared to last year. The new release, Dragon Age: The Veilguard, debuted at No.3, but had a slow start, ranking as the 12th fastest-selling game of the year. Another new release, Mario & Luigi: Brothership, narrowly missed the Top Ten at No.11, with sales 16% lower than Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door and 19% behind Super Mario RPG. In terms of hardware, nearly 270,000 consoles were sold in November, representing an 85% increase over October but a 45% decline from the same period in 2023, according to Nielsen GfK data. The decline can be attributed to the absence of Black Friday data, as Black Friday sales were strong for consoles, with more PS5s sold this year than last. The new PS5 Pro console accounted for 26% of all PS5 consoles sold in November. Additionally, 1.05 million accessories were sold, with the DualSense controllers remaining the top-selling accessories. The UK GSD November 2024 Top 10 (Digital and Physical) chart saw Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 at No.1, followed by EA Sports FC 25 and Dragon Age: The Veilguard.