European Gaming Market Faces Challenges in December Due to Underperforming New Releases

The European gaming market experienced a decline in sales across the continent last month, according to the latest data from GSD. A total of 27.4 million games were sold in European markets in December, representing a 13% decrease compared to the same period last year. Digital sales accounted for 11.4 million of these sales, down 17% year-over-year, while physical sales totaled nearly 16 million, down 10%. FIFA 23 emerged as the top-selling game of the month, followed by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. If the sales of Pokémon Violet and Scarlet were combined, they would have occupied the second spot, despite Nintendo not sharing digital data. FIFA sales in December saw a 5% increase compared to the previous year, possibly boosted by the World Cup. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's December sales were up nearly 6% compared to Call of Duty: Vanguard in December 2021. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's sales were 5% higher than those of Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl during the same period last year. Legacy titles like GTA 5 and Mario Kart 8: Deluxe contributed to the overall market decline, with significant drops in sales compared to December last year. Key titles from last Christmas, such as F1 and Just Dance, did not perform as strongly this year. New releases in December also underperformed. The highest-charting new release was Need for Speed: Unbound at No.12, followed by Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion at No.21. The Callisto Protocol ranked No.22, but would have likely charted in the Top 20 if digital sales were included. The Nintendo Switch emerged as the top-selling console, despite a challenging month for the industry. A total of 1.33 million consoles were sold across tracked European markets, representing a 19% decrease compared to the same period last year. This decline was largely due to a sharp drop in sales for the Xbox Series S and X, as well as the Nintendo Switch. PS5 sales were also down, albeit marginally, by 3.4%. However, the Switch maintained its position as the best-selling console in Europe. PS5 stock issues are gradually subsiding, although some supply constraints persisted during the month. In terms of accessories and toys-to-life products, 3.66 million add-on products were sold, down 9% compared to the previous year. The PS5 DualSense Controller led the market, with sales growth of 5% compared to December 2021. The GSD digital data encompasses games from participating companies sold via Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop. Major participating companies include Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Capcom, and others. Digital data includes games sold in various European countries, while physical data includes all games sold in specific markets. Console hardware sales cover several European countries, and accessories sales cover the same markets, excluding Switzerland.