UK Video Game Sales Experience 3% Decline in November Despite Strong Console Sales

The UK video game market saw a 3% decline in sales during November, with over 4.55 million games sold, according to GSD data. This decrease is attributed to a weaker release lineup compared to the same period last year, which included major titles such as God of War Ragnarök and Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. However, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 helped to bolster sales, claiming the top spot for the month. Despite this, its sales were 38% lower than the previous year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Other notable releases included Hogwarts Legacy on Nintendo Switch, which saw a 100% increase in sales due to the Switch release and Black Friday discounts. EA Sports FC 23 sold slightly fewer copies than FIFA 23 last year, but with strong discounts during the Black Friday period. The Black Friday week saw 1.66 million games sold, led by EA Sports FC 24, with sales up 0.8% compared to last year. In the console market, over 486,000 consoles were sold, a 176% increase month-on-month and 32% up year-on-year, driven by heavy discounting of Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo consoles. The PS5 accounted for nearly half of console sales, with a 149% month-on-month increase and 126% year-on-year increase. The Xbox Series S and X saw a 231% sales jump month-on-month, while the Nintendo Switch took third place with sales up 175% month-on-month but down 19% year-on-year. Year-to-date, console sales are up 12% driven by improved PS5 sales. The new PlayStation Portal accessory debuted at number 5 and sold out at UK retail last month.