European Game Sales: First Half 2024

The European video game market demonstrated resilience during the first half of 2024, with total unit sales for PC and console games reaching nearly 80 million. This figure represents a modest decline of 1.6% compared to the same period in 2023. This performance is notable given the absence of a high-profile AAA release slate, which contrasted sharply with the first half of 2023, a period bolstered by major titles such as Hogwarts Legacy, The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and Diablo IV.

Market data, provided by GSD, tracks physical sales across major European markets and digital sales from most leading publishers, though Nintendo remains a significant omission from digital reporting. While unit sales remained relatively stable, revenue experienced a more pronounced downturn, particularly in the UK, where revenue fell by 30%. This discrepancy is attributed to the lower average selling prices of the top-performing games in 2024 compared to the premium AAA releases of the previous year.

The hardware sector faced more significant challenges, with console sales dropping 24% during the first six months of 2024 to 2.2 million units. All major platforms saw declines, with the Xbox Series S and X experiencing the steepest drop at 37%, followed by the Nintendo Switch at 32% and the PlayStation 5 at 16%. Similarly, the accessories market saw an 8.4% decrease in unit sales for the first half of the year. Despite these broader trends, specific titles like Elden Ring saw massive surges in engagement following downloadable content releases, and EA Sports FC 24 maintained strong performance, benefiting from the European football championships.