Survey Suggests “There’s Nothing ‘Special’ About CoD When It Comes to Console Choice”: Europe

A comprehensive survey commissioned by Microsoft and conducted by YouGov evaluates the influence of specific game titles on consumer console purchasing decisions within the European market. By analyzing data from 7,640 console gamers across Germany, Spain, France, Italy, and Poland, the research aims to determine whether the potential exclusivity of major franchises like Call of Duty would drive significant platform migration. The findings challenge the assumption that Call of Duty acts as a primary catalyst for switching consoles, suggesting that no single game possesses enough unique leverage to force a platform shift among the majority of users.

Key data points indicate that only 3.1% of PlayStation owners would have switched to an Xbox if Call of Duty had been unavailable at the time of their last console purchase. Furthermore, only 5.3% of users planning to buy a PlayStation would reconsider if the franchise were withheld in the future. In contrast, FIFA emerged as a more significant factor in consumer loyalty, leading in both "past" and "future" diversion metrics among PlayStation users. The survey highlights that 33% of PlayStation gamers identify FIFA as a favorite title, compared to 17% for Call of Duty.

The analysis concludes that the overall impact of any single game on platform foreclosure is minimal. The data also underscores a disparity in brand loyalty, noting that 74% of PlayStation users intend to remain within the Sony ecosystem for their next purchase, compared to 44% of Xbox owners. Ultimately, the research positions Xbox as a market underdog and suggests that Sony’s dominance is driven by broader platform factors rather than the availability of any specific third-party title.