European Gaming Market Experiences Decline in December Due to Poor Performance of New Releases

European console and PC game sales saw a decline in December, according to the latest GSD data, with 27.4 million tracked games sold, representing a 13% year-over-year decrease. Digital sales accounted for 11.4 million, down 17% from the previous year, while physical sales reached nearly 16 million, down 10%. FIFA 23 led the sales charts, followed by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. Combining Pokémon Violet and Scarlet sales would have placed the game at number two, despite Nintendo not sharing digital data. FIFA 23 saw a 5% increase in sales compared to the previous year, potentially driven by the World Cup. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's sales were up nearly 6% compared to Call of Duty: Vanguard in December 2021. Pokémon Scarlet and Violet's sales were 5% higher than Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl's sales during the same period last year. However, legacy titles such as GTA 5 and Mario Kart 8: Deluxe experienced significant declines. New releases in December, including Need for Speed: Unbound and Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion, did not perform well. The Switch was the top-selling console, despite a 19% decline in overall console sales. Accessories and toys-to-life products saw a 9% decline, with the PS5 DualSense Controller being the top-selling accessory, experiencing 5% sales growth.