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[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

12.14 million video games were sold across European markets, a drop of 7.3% over the same period the year before, GSD data reveals.

The data covers all physical game sales and digital game sales from most major games publishers (Nintendo is the notable absentee).

EA Sports FC 24 was comfortably the No.1 game, with January unit sales that are almost identical to what FIFA 23 managed during the same period in 2023.

The best-selling new game of the month was The Last of Us: Part 2 Remastered. The PlayStation game's opening two weeks was more than two and a half times bigger than The Last of Us: Part 1, which launched in September 2022. The Last of Us: Part 2 did have an upgrade offer, where owners of the PS4 version could get the remastered edition at a heavily reduced price. Also, the PS5 install base has grown substantially since Part 1 was released.

Tekken 8 debuts at No.7. It's a strong release for the Bandai Namco fighting game, with sales up over 80% compared to the debut week of Street Fighter 6. Tekken typically has a stronger following in Europe than Capcom's friendly rival.

Leaping up the charts this week is Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice. The Ninja Theory game had a steep discount on Steam, causing the game to rocket up the charts to No.8. A sequel is due to arrive in May.

Also making it into the Top Ten this week is Ubisoft's new Prince of Persia game, The Lost Crown, which debuts at No.9.

Of course Palworld would likely have made the charts, but the data only covers digital games from most major publishers.

Over in the world of console hardware, across tracked European markets, console sales reached nearly 475,000 units over January, a slight dip of 1.4% over the year before (the data does not cover UK or Germany). Strong sales of PS5 (which was still suffering stock shortages across Europe a year ago), was offset by a sharp decline in Nintendo Switch sales. Nintendo Switch is approaching its seventh anniversary, and a successor console is expected to arrive this year. There was also a slight dip in Xbox Series S and X sales.

1.8 million peripherals and accessories were sold in January, which is also a drop of 1.4% over the year before.

European GSD January 2024 Top 10 (Digital + Physical)​

Position	Title
1	EA Sports FC 24 (EA)
2	The Last of Us: Part 2 Remastered (Sony)
3	Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros)
4	Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision Blizzard)
5	Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar)
6	Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco)
7	Super Mario Bros Wonder (Nintendo)*
8	Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice (Microsoft)
9	Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (Ubisoft)
10	Need for Speed: Heat (EA)

*Digital data unavailable

European video game sales dip by over 7% in January | European Monthly Charts

12.14 million video games were sold across European markets, a drop of 7.3% over the same period the year before, GSD d…

www.gamesindustry.biz

 

[tusharngf]

consumer spending decreased? any reason for that?

 

[@gkTH]

consumer spending decreased? any reason for that?

Xbox exit?

 

[Mownoc]

No YoY or even MoM comparisons for the consoles???? These reports get worse.

All we have is:

PS5 sales up YoY
Xbox sales slightly down YoY
Switch sharps decline YoY

 

[Physiognomonics]

What about this BS report saying Sony was halving PS5 production because of disappointing sales? They are up YoY!

 

[Horseganador]

Quite impressive PS5 going up this January (last year it went up 202%) and next week it seems that there will be a reduction to €475 in preparation for the arrival of FF7 Rebirth.

 

[yazenov]

Impressive sales for the PS5 and The Last of Us: Part 2 Remastered.

Next month will be interesting with the release of the big games on the PS5, and the negative impact of the Xbox news. Fun times ahead.

 

[Mibu no ookami]

What about this BS report saying Sony was halving PS5 production because of disappointing sales? They are up YoY!

Not sure that that reporting was accurate, but they're down significantly in the UK and will probably be down in the US as well.

They did not meet sales expectations over the holidays and I think that is why the PS5 is still being bundled with Spider-Man at cost to keep sales up.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

What about this BS report saying Sony was halving PS5 production because of disappointing sales? They are up YoY!

As I said in another thread, maybe they were just producing PS5s at a ridiculous speed to make up for the shortages st the start of this gen and they're winding down now, because it's selling at a normal rate again at this stage of a gen.

 

[shaddam]

I am happy to see Hogwarts in the TOP10.

 

[Flabagast]

How can Hellblade be so high ? that's fucking weird

 

[Killjoy-NL]

How can Hellblade be so high ? that's fucking weird

It's a great game though that deserves more exposure.

 

[Nonehxc]

consumer spending decreased? any reason for that?

It's called Christmas.

 

[FalconPunch]

How can Hellblade be so high ? that's fucking weird

Fire sales? It was reported that European stores are choosing not to stock Xbox physical copies so maybe this is liquidation of inventory? It could be that people are hyped for Hellblade 2 but the social media data does not suggest this at all. Who knows

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

How can Hellblade be so high ? that's fucking weird

I explained in another thread, but the most likely scenario is due to the recent Dev Direct from Jan 18 where Hellbade 2 got its release date.

Hellblade 1 was put on sale on that same day so people most likely were hyped for the upcoming release and bought the first game. It was available on the cheap for like €3 I think.

 

[Ozriel]

Fire sales? It was reported that European stores are choosing not to stock Xbox physical copies so maybe this is liquidation of inventory? It could be that people are hyped for Hellblade 2 but the social media data does not suggest this at all. Who knows

Clearly spelt out in the OP that the original was discounted. A usual tactic used when a sequel is planned.

Couple that with renewed interest from the Direct and you have your answer.

I’m not sure how much inventory you think retail stores carry for games from 2018

 

[TheAssist]

consumer spending decreased? any reason for that?

Lots of people have less money compared to pre high Inflation times, not everyone got raises that covered the full cost. Price of food is still rising in some countries like Germany. So while inflation as a whole is going down, the prices that matter most to the average consumer are still above the average of past 10 to 20 years. Most economies in Europe are stagnant, some are in recession like Germany or UK.
Also just lots of insecurity because of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and a general pretty pessimistic outlook for the next few months.

 

[kazuyamishima]

How can Hellblade be so high ?

€2.99 price can do that.

 

[Brucey]

What about this BS report saying Sony was halving PS5 production because of disappointing sales? They are up YoY!

Sony too!