Evaluating 2023 as a Year for New Game Releases

As the year draws to a close, it's time to reflect on the state of the gaming industry. Despite the challenges posed by the pandemic, layoffs, and the collapse of E3, 2023 has seen the release of several high-profile games, including Zelda, Spider-Man, Starfield, and Diablo. However, the question remains as to whether 2023 has been a good year for new games. To answer this, we need to examine the data. According to Circana, the average number of new games to make the Top 10 charts in the first ten months of the year from 2016 through 2022 was 32.3. In contrast, 2023 has seen 35 new games make the Top 10 charts, indicating a slightly above-average performance. Furthermore, the number of new games to make the Top 20 charts in the first ten months of 2023 was 47, which is well above the average of 40.4 from 2018 through 2022. While these numbers suggest that 2023 has been a good year for new games, the actual sales figures tell a different story. The year-over-year growth in US consumer spending on games through October was only 1%, which is lower than expected. This raises questions about the relationship between the number of new games released and overall industry sales. One possible explanation is that the quality of games, rather than just their quantity, is a more important factor in determining sales. To explore this, we can look at the number of new releases with a Metacritic average of 90 or more. According to Axios, 2023 has seen 25 such releases, which is the highest number in 20 years and double the average for the past decade. However, the correlation between the number of high-quality games and overall sales is not straightforward. The gaming industry is complex, and many factors can influence sales, including the economy, consumer spending habits, and the availability of games on different platforms. Ultimately, the answer to whether 2023 has been a good year for new games depends on how one defines "good." While the numbers suggest that 2023 has been a strong year for new releases, the sales figures tell a more nuanced story. As the industry continues to evolve, it will be interesting to see how the relationship between new game releases and sales develops in the future.