European Gaming Market Suffers Decline in December Due to Underwhelming New Releases

European console and PC game sales experienced a downturn in the previous month, as indicated by the latest data from GSD. A total of 27.4 million games were sold across European markets, marking a 13% decrease from the same period the previous year. Digital sales accounted for 11.4 million, representing a 17% year-over-year decline, while physical sales totaled nearly 16 million, down by just over 10%. FIFA 23 emerged as the top-selling game for the month, followed by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. If the sales of Pokémon Violet and Scarlet were combined, they would have secured the second position, despite the absence of digital data from Nintendo. Sales of FIFA 23 in December showed a 5% increase compared to the previous year, potentially boosted by the World Cup. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 saw a nearly 6% increase in sales compared to Call of Duty: Vanguard in December 2021. The sales of Pokémon Scarlet and Violet were 5% higher than those of Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl during the same period last year. However, legacy titles such as GTA 5 and Mario Kart 8: Deluxe experienced significant declines compared to December of the previous year. Key titles from the previous Christmas, including F1 and Just Dance, did not perform as strongly this year. New releases in December also failed to make a significant impact, with Need for Speed: Unbound being the highest-charting new release at number 12, followed by Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion at number 21. The Callisto Protocol ranked 22, but would have likely charted in the top 20 if digital sales were included. The Nintendo Switch emerged as the best-selling console, despite a challenging month for the industry as a whole. A total of 1.33 million games consoles were sold across tracked European markets, representing a 19% decrease from the previous year. This decline was largely attributed to a sharp drop in sales for Xbox Series S and X, as well as the Nintendo Switch. PS5 sales also decreased, albeit marginally, by 3.4%. However, the Switch maintained its position as the top-selling console across Europe. The 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, marking a 9% decline from the previous year. The PS5 DualSense Controller led the market, with sales growth of 5% compared to December 2021.