Overview of Video Game Sales

In an impressive month for the gaming industry, 18.5 million video games flew off the shelves across Europe in October, marking a remarkable 12.4% increase compared to the same five-week period in 2022.

Major Releases Driving Sales

The surge in sales can largely be attributed to the blockbuster release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, which debuted in October, diverging from last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, which launched in November.

During its first two weeks, Black Ops 6 achieved a 5% increase in unit sales over Modern Warfare 3, despite the latter's relatively soft launch. However, it's noteworthy that Black Ops 6's initial sales are down 28% when juxtaposed with the stellar performance of Modern Warfare 2 in 2022.

A significant factor influencing this trend is Black Ops 6's inclusion in Game Pass, allowing players to access the game through subscriptions on PC and Xbox, resulting in a notable decline in premium sales on Xbox platforms.

Focusing solely on PlayStation sales, where Game Pass is unavailable, Black Ops 6 enjoyed a remarkable 26% sales boost over Modern Warfare 3 and a slight 2% increase over Modern Warfare 2, suggesting a robust uptick in the game's popularity among gamers.

Other Top Titles

EA Sports FC 25 claimed the second spot, experiencing a negligible 2% decrease in sales compared to last year's title. Fresh off the production line is Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero by Bandai Namco, coming in at third place. This new addition has seen sales exceed those of its predecessor, surpassing the previous record-holder, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, by more than double.

In fifth place, Super Mario Party Jamboree for Nintendo Switch had a solid launch, although it fell 6% short of the first three weeks of 2021's Mario Party Superstars. It's vital to note that sales figures for Mario Party are derived from physical copies alone, as Nintendo opts not to disclose digital sales.

Konami's Silent Hill 2 remake debuted at number six, albeit trailing behind last year's horror remakes. The game's initial sales for the first four weeks were 57% lower than the Resident Evil 4 remake and 31% below the Dead Space remake.

Dragon Age: The Veilguard secured the seventh position after just one week on sale. While the game saw decent numbers within the UK, its performance across Europe was somewhat less impressive, dropping over 18% compared to Dragon's Dogma 2 and nearly 21% less than Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth when assessing first-week sales.

Undisputed, the boxing game from independent developer Steel City Interactive, successfully carved out its place in the top ten, confirming a clear demand for boxing titles featuring authentic licenses and fighters.

Emerging Titles and Trends

Meanwhile, just outside the Top Ten lies Metaphor: Refantazio, crafted by some of the minds behind the iconic Persona series. Its launch sales are 32% lower compared to Persona 5 Royal but still exceed other Persona titles tracked by GSD.

Lastly, Sonic X Shadow Generations debuted at No. 16, showcasing double the sales of last year's 2D Sonic offering, although it still saw a 42% drop compared to the open-world Sonic Frontiers released in 2022.

Hardware and Accessories Performance

On the hardware side, a total of 422,000 gaming consoles were sold across tracked markets, reflecting a 26% decline compared to the same period in 2022. PlayStation 5 sales dropped nearly 29%, while the Nintendo Switch faced a 10% decrease, and Xbox sales fell by a staggering 49%. As of now, console sales for 2023 have seen an overall dip of 28%.

The accessory market saw 1.4 million units sold, marking nearly a 13% decrease compared to the prior year.

Top 10 European Video Game Sales for October 2024 (Digital + Physical)

1. Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 (Activision Blizzard) 2. EA Sports FC 25 (EA) 3. Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero (Bandai Namco) 4. Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros) 5. Super Mario Party Jamboree (Nintendo)* 6. Silent Hill 2 (Konami) 7. Dragon Age: The Veilguard (EA) 8. Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar) 9. The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom (Nintendo)* 10. Undisputed (Plaion) Despite some challenges in the gaming market, October proved to be a pivotal month filled with thrilling releases and substantial sales activity. What does this mean for the future of the industry? Stay tuned for more updates!