European Gaming Market Sees Uptick in February, Driven by Helldivers 2

According to recent data from GSD, the European gaming market witnessed a significant surge in sales during February, with a total of 16.74 million video games sold. This represents a 21.2% increase over the previous February, although it's essential to note that February 2024 had an extra week compared to the previous year. When adjusted for this discrepancy, sales actually dipped by 0.1%. The release of Hogwarts Legacy in the previous year was a major factor in the strong sales, with its five-week sales surpassing the entire top 10 for February this year. Additionally, Palworld's absence from the data, due to its developer not being tracked by GSD, might have contributed to the slight decline. The standout game for the month was Helldivers 2, released by Sony on PC and PS5, with over 56% of its sales coming from the PC platform. The game demonstrated remarkable staying power, with a 70% increase in sales during its second week and a 3% rise in the third week. Although sales slowed down subsequently, the decline was relatively minor, with a 28% drop in the fourth week. In comparison, most games typically experience a significant decline in sales after the first week, ranging from 60% to 80%. Helldivers 2's performance can be put into perspective by comparing its four-week sales to those of Sony's previous hit, Spider-Man 2, which had a higher price point and was exclusive to PS5. EA Sports FC 24 continued to perform well, ranking fourth, while Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth debuted at number three. Despite receiving positive reviews, the game's opening week sales were 23% lower than its predecessor, including sales of the double pack. The new Final Fantasy game's launch sales were 4% higher than those of Final Fantasy XVI, released in June of the previous year. Ubisoft's Skull and Bones ranked ninth, with its opening three weeks 30% lower than Sea of Thieves' performance during the same period in March 2018. Outside the top 10, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League ranked 12th, with its opening five weeks 33% lower than Gotham Knights' sales in 2022 and 61% lower than Guardians of the Galaxy's sales in 2021. Mario vs Donkey Kong debuted at number 15, and Pacific Drive ranked 18th. Console sales experienced a decline, with 474,469 consoles sold across Europe in February. Although this represents an 11% increase over the previous year, it's attributed to the extra week in February 2024. When comparing the same five-week periods, sales actually dropped by 14%. All three major platforms saw a decline in sales, with the PS5 being the most resilient, experiencing a 2% year-over-year decline. The Switch, which recently turned seven years old, saw a 17% decline, while Xbox struggled with a 47% decline in Series S and X sales. In terms of accessories and add-ons, 1.6 million products were sold across tracked European countries, led by the PS5 DualSense and Xbox Wireless controllers. GSD's digital data includes games from participating companies sold via Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop, covering major companies such as Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, and Sony. Digital data encompasses games sold in various European countries, including Austria, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. Physical data includes all games sold in select European countries, while console hardware sales cover specific markets, excluding Switzerland for accessories sales.