European Video Game Sales Experience Slight Dip, but PS5 Drives Console Market to 60% Increase

The European video game market saw a notable month in November, fueled by strong sales of Call of Duty, EA Sports FC 24, and the PlayStation 5. A total of 24.6 million video games were sold across tracked European markets, marking a 20% increase from the previous year. However, this rise is attributed to November 2023 being a five-week month, as opposed to the four weeks in November 2022. When comparing the same four-week period, sales actually decreased by 2%. The release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 was a significant driver of sales, but its first four weeks saw a 33% decline in sales compared to its predecessor, Modern Warfare 2. Despite this, it remained the best-selling game of the month. EA Sports FC 24 experienced a 3% increase in sales compared to FIFA 23 during the same period, largely due to heavy discounts during Black Friday. The second biggest new game of the month was Football Manager 2024, which narrowly sold fewer units than the previous year's title. Other notable releases included Super Mario RPG on Switch and Hogwarts Legacy on Switch, which saw a 509% surge in sales following Black Friday discounts. In terms of console sales, 1.3 million units were sold across tracked markets, with PS5 sales increasing by 376% year-over-year, driven by its availability during Black Friday. The Nintendo Switch and Xbox Series S and X saw declines in sales of 35% and 26%, respectively. Accessories sales also saw a 13.8% increase, with controllers dominating the market, particularly the PS5 DualSense.