16.74 million video video games have been offered throughout Europe throughout February, based on the newest GSD knowledge.
That is technically an increase of 21.2% over the earlier February, nonetheless, February 2024 was a five-week month, whereas it was a four-week month in 2023. If we examine this 12 months’s quantity to the identical five-week interval in 2023, gross sales are literally down very, very barely by 0.1%.
It is nonetheless a powerful consequence. Final February noticed the discharge of Hogwarts Legacy, which was a serious smash hit. To provide you an concept of simply how massive Hogwarts’ launch was, its gross sales after 5 weeks was better than your entire Prime Ten for February this 12 months.
It is also price noting that Palworld, which might have been a giant performer in February, is not included on this knowledge as that developer is not tracked by GSD. So it isn’t unreasonable to assume that February 2024 was really larger than 2023.
GSD tracks all video games offered through bodily retail in most main European markets, and digital gross sales from most main AAA publishers in all European markets.
The large standout sport for the month was Helldivers 2 from Sony. The sport was launched concurrently on PC and PS5, and over 56% of its gross sales got here on the PC platform.
It additionally simply saved on promoting. Gross sales for the sport elevated 70% in its second week, then over 3% in its third week. It has slowed down since, however solely barely, with a gross sales fall of 28% in week 4. As a comparability, most video games drop in gross sales after one week, with falls of between 60 – 80% being the norm.
To provide you a way of how that sport has accomplished, after 4 weeks its gross sales are monitoring 5% behind what Sony’s earlier blockbuster, Spider-Man 2, managed to attain. After all, Spider-Man 2 had a better worth level and was solely accessible on PS5.
EA Sports activities FC 24 continues to do properly at No.4, whereas now we have one other new launch at No.3 within the type of Closing Fantasy VII: Rebirth. The sport was additionally accessible in a double pack with the unique Closing Fantasy VII: Remake, which makes No.39 within the charts.
Regardless of a powerful important reception, the second half within the Closing Fantasy VII remake trilogy did not match the efficiency of the primary sport, with opening week gross sales down 23% over its predecessor (together with gross sales of the double pack). After all, Remake arrived on a special platform with a much bigger set up base (PS4) and likewise launched throughout the early weeks of COVID-19 lockdowns, when video games have been in larger demand.
In contrast with final 12 months’s Closing Fantasy XVI launch, which got here out in June, launch gross sales of this new Closing Fantasy are up slightly below 4%.
The subsequent new sport within the charts is Ubisoft’s Cranium and Bones, which makes No.9. The pirate sport’s opening three weeks are 30% decrease in contrast with what Sea of Thieves managed throughout the identical interval again in March 2018. Sea of Thieves is coming to PS5 this April.
Exterior of the Prime Ten there’s Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League at No.12. We all know the sport carried out under Warner Bros’ expectations, however to put its efficiency in context, its opening 5 weeks are 33% decrease than what Gotham Knights managed in 2022, and 61% decrease than what Guardians of the Galaxy managed in 2021.
And eventually within the Prime 20, Mario vs Donkey Kong debuts at No.15, and Pacific Drive is available in at No.18.
Console gross sales dip as soon as once more
GSD would not observe all European markets in the case of console gross sales. The 2 main markets lacking are Germany and the UK (you’ll be able to see the UK knowledge right here). However for the territories which can be included, 474,469 video games consoles have been offered throughout Europe in February.
Technically, that is 11% up over the 12 months earlier than, however once more that is as a result of 5 week vs 4 week intervals. If we examine the 5 weeks of February 2024 with the identical 5 weeks in 2023, the precise gross sales are down 14%.
All three essential platforms posted gross sales drops in February. PS5 is most resilient, with gross sales down simply 2% year-on-year, Swap – which has simply turned seven years previous– is down 17%, whereas Xbox continues to wrestle with Sequence S and X gross sales down 47%.
By way of equipment and add-ons, 1.6 million of those merchandise have been offered throughout traced European international locations, led by the PS5 DualSense and Xbox Wi-fi controllers.
European GSD February 2024 Prime 10 (Digital + Bodily)
Place | Title |
---|---|
1 | Helldivers 2 (Sony) |
2 | EA Sports activities FC 24 (EA) |
3 | Closing Fantasy VII Rebirth (Sq. Enix) |
4 | Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar) |
5 | Name of Responsibility: Fashionable Warfare 3 (Activision Blizzard) |
6 | Purple Useless Redemption 2 (Rockstar) |
7 | Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros) |
8 | It Takes Two (EA) |
9 | Cranium and Bones (Ubisoft)
|
10 | Want for Velocity: Warmth (EA) |
*Digital knowledge unavailable
GSD digital knowledge contains video games from collaborating corporations offered through Steam, Xbox Reside, PlayStation Community, Nintendo Eshop. Main collaborating corporations are Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Codemasters, Digital Arts, Embracer Group (together with Gearbox, Koch Media, Sabre Interactive), Focus Leisure, Konami, Marvellous Video games, Microids, Microsoft (together with Bethesda), Milestone, Nacon, Paradox Interactive, Quantic Dream, Sega, Sony, Sq. Enix, Take-Two, Tencent, Ubisoft and Warner Bros. Nintendo and 505 Video games are the notable absentees, alongside smaller studios.
Digital knowledge contains video games offered in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Eire, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, Ukraine, and United Kingdom.
Bodily knowledge contains all video games, however solely these offered in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
Console {hardware} gross sales cowl Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Italy, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Equipment gross sales cowl the identical markets, however would not embody Switzerland.