European Video Game Sales Experience 12% Surge in October, Driven by Blockbuster Releases | European Monthly Charts

The European video game market witnessed a significant 12.4% increase in sales during October, with 18.5 million games sold across the continent. This substantial growth is largely attributed to the highly anticipated launch of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 in October, whereas its comparative title, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, was released in November last year. The opening two weeks of Black Ops 6 saw a 5% increase in unit sales compared to Modern Warfare 3. However, when compared to 2022's Modern Warfare 2, launch sales were down by 28%. The availability of Call of Duty in Game Pass has significantly impacted sales, resulting in a sharp decline in premium sales on Xbox platforms. In contrast, PlayStation versions of Black Ops 6 have seen a 26% increase in sales over Modern Warfare 3 and a 2% increase over Modern Warfare 2, indicating a substantial rise in Call of Duty players this year. EA Sports FC 25 secured the second spot, with sales marginally lower than the previous year's game over the same five-week period. The new Dragon Ball title, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, achieved a massive launch, with sales more than doubling the previous fastest-selling Dragon Ball game, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. Super Mario Party Jamboree for Nintendo Switch debuted at No.5, with solid launch sales, although 6% lower than Mario Party Superstars in 2021. Silent Hill 2 by Konami charted well, but its sales were 57% lower than the Resident Evil 4 remake and 31% below the Dead Space remake. Dragon Age: The Veilguard entered the Top Ten after one week, with solid numbers in the UK, but softer sales across the rest of Europe. The boxing game Undisputed performed exceptionally well, demonstrating pent-up demand for a boxing title with official licenses and boxers. Metaphor: Refantazio, just outside the Top Ten, saw launch sales 32% lower than Persona 5 Royal, but still achieved a great result for a new IP. Sonic X Shadow Generations came in at No.16, with sales double that of last year's 2D Sonic game, but down 42% over 2022's open-world Sonic game Sonic Frontiers. In terms of hardware, 422,000 consoles were sold across tracked markets, a decline of 26% compared to the same period in 2023. PS5 sales dropped 29%, Nintendo Switch sales decreased 10%, and Xbox sales plummeted 49%. This year, console sales have declined 28% over the previous year. Accessories sales reached 1.4 million, a decrease of nearly 13% over the same period in 2023. The GSD digital data encompasses games from participating companies sold via Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop, with major companies like Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, and Electronic Arts contributing. Digital data includes sales from various European countries, while physical data covers a more limited range of countries. Console hardware sales and accessories sales are tracked across specific markets, excluding Switzerland for accessories.