Video game sales across Europe were down in September compared with the year before, according to the latest figures from GSD.
September 2022 was a five-week month, and as a result the numbers appear down 16% over September 2023. But this year was a four-week month. And so if we compare week 36 to week 39 (the like-for-like sales weeks), overall game sales are down just over 1%.
The main reason for the drop was this year’s EA Sports FC 24. EA’s new football game brand has got off to a strong start, but it is 10% down compared with the launch of FIFA 23 last year. It’s worth noting that FIFA 23 had a particularly strong launch. If we compare EA Sports FC 24’s launch with FIFA 22, and sales are actually only down 3.7%. EA had anticipated some initial decline as a result of the name change.
EA Sports FC 24 sold best in the UK, and was No.1 in all major European markets.
There was also a drop for the other big sports game of the month. NBA 2K24’s opening three weeks on sale are down 17% compared with NBA 2K23.
The second biggest game of the month was also a new IP in the form of Xbox’s Starfield. It was a strong launch for the game, which was also available day and date on Game Pass. However, the game couldn’t unseat Forza Horizon 5 as Xbox’s biggest game launch this geneation. Starfield’s first four weeks on sale are 13% below what Forza Horizon 5 managed.
Of course, Game Pass data is unavailable and it’s impossible to know how the game performed overall without this insight.
Starfield was No.2 in the UK and Germany. Whereas NBA 2K24 was No.2 in Italy and Spain. In France it was The Crew Motorfest, a game developed in the country, that claimed the No.2 spot.
Indeed, The Crew Motorfest (No.4) bucked the trend in September, with launch sales up over its predecessor. For its first three weeks on sale, Ubisoft’s racing game posted a 6.5% sales improvement compared with the launch of 2018’s The Crew 2.
The final new game we’ve not mentioned is Mortal Kombat 1, which is in No.5 spot across Europe. The Warner Bros game’s first three week sales are down nearly 39% when compared to 2019’s Mortal Kombat 11.
PS5 continues to dominate across Europe
Once again comparing the same four week sales period in September, sales of games consoles were up nearly 38% compared with the same four weeks in 2022. Not every European market is tracked (Germany and the UK is missing), but overall 416,000 games consoles were sold across the participating markets.
This was driven by PS5, with sales of Sony’s console up 175% over the same period last year. There were still strong stock shortages of PS5 in September 2022.
Nintendo Switch sales were down 28% compared with last September, while Xbox Series S and X sales are down 35% for that four-week period.
In terms of accessories, 1.1 milion add-on products were sold in September, with Sony’s PS5 DualSense Controller driving sales alongside the Xbox Series Wireless controller. There was also 1.11 million points cards/wallet cards sold over the four week period.
European GSD September 2023 Top 10 (Digital + Physical)
| Position | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | EA Sports FC 24 (EA) |
| 2 | Starfield (Microsoft) |
| 3 | NBA 2K24 (2K Games) |
| 4 | The Crew Motorfest (Ubisoft) |
| 5 | Mortal Kombat 1 (Warner Bros) |
| 6 | Payday 3 (Plaion) |
| 7 | Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar) |
| 8 | Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar)
|
| 9 | Titanfall 2 (EA) |
| 10 | Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros) |
* Digital data unavailable
GSD digital data includes games from participating companies sold via Steam, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, Nintendo Eshop. Major participating companies are Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Codemasters, Electronic Arts, Embracer Group (including Gearbox, Koch Media, Sabre Interactive), Focus Entertainment, Konami, Marvellous Games, Microids, Microsoft (including Bethesda), Milestone, Nacon, Paradox Interactive, Quantic Dream, Sega, Sony, Square Enix, Take-Two, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. Nintendo and 505 Games are the notable absentees, alongside smaller studios.
Digital data includes games sold in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and United Kingdom.
Physical data includes all games, but only those sold in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
Console hardware sales cover Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Accessories sales cover the same markets, but doesn’t include Switzerland.
