European Video Game and Console Sales Experience Significant Boost in August

According to GSD data, 10.7 million video games from major publishers were sold across Europe in the previous month, marking a 29% increase over the same period last year. This notable achievement is especially impressive considering that the major release of August, Baldur's Gate 3, is not included in the data due to its publisher, Larian, not being part of the GSD panel. Instead, FIFA 23 takes the top spot, with a significant sales spike observed on the Nintendo Switch, largely attributed to a promotional offer through the Nintendo eShop. Grand Theft Auto 5 follows closely, experiencing a 40% sales jump compared to August 2022, primarily driven by promotional activities on the PlayStation 5. When examining sales by platform, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Mario Kart 8: Deluxe emerge as the best-selling games of the month. It was another strong month for Nintendo across Europe. The highest-ranking new entry is Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon, which trails behind Hogwarts Legacy at number four. The From Software title performed exceptionally well in the UK, with sales nearly doubling those in Germany and tripling those in France. Red Dead Redemption re-enters the charts at number eleven, following its release on the PS4 and Nintendo Switch, with the PS4 version accounting for nearly two-thirds of the sales. Quake 2 narrowly misses the top twenty, jumping to number twenty-three after an updated release across all platforms. In terms of console sales, while not all markets are tracked by GSD, the countries that are tracked show a 67% increase in hardware sales compared to last August, largely driven by the PlayStation 5, which saw a remarkable 197% sales jump. The Nintendo Switch continues to perform remarkably well given its age, with sales rising by just under 1% compared to the same period last year. However, the Xbox Series S and X struggled, with sales declining by nearly 12% compared to the same period in 2022, a trend that is expected to reverse with the launch of new hardware and Starfield in September. Accessories sales saw a 36% year-on-year increase, primarily due to strong sales of the PS5 DualSense controller, which experienced a 170% sales spike driven by improved PS5 console sales.