GSD European sales September 2023 - PS5#1 (+175%) NSW#2 (-25%) XBS#3 (-35%) / EA FC24#1 Starfiled#2 MK1#3

[Smitch]

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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%.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

 

[Magic Mushroom]

There is just no stopping Rockstar, is there.

 

[Mubrik_]

That's a lot of downs for software, I think mk 1 still put up solid numbers tho
But surprising is Xbox hardware down despite SF

 

[Super]

Xbox being down 35% in Starfield month is really poor performance. A general decline of big IP aswell on their previous iterations too.

 

[LinguisticGoblin]

There is just no stopping Rockstar, is there.

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If GTA 6 isn't the biggest launch for a piece of media ever it is underperforming my expectations at this stage. Gonna be a monster.

 

[Peek-a-boo!]

Xbox being down 35% in Starfield month is really poor performance. A general decline of big IP as well on their previous iterations too.

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While the most recent NPD makes for nice reading for 'Starfield', it still continues to surprise me how little effect the game has on actual (Xbox) hardware sales — I already mentioned in the aforementioned thread about this, yet some folks didn't seem overly surprised for some peculiar reason.

If arguably the most persuasive/influential game out of their first party stable can't turn things around, what will?

p.s. And the Switch came second in 'Starfield' month as well! Good grief…

 

[JusDoIt]

MK11 is a tough act to follow, but almost 40% down is a surprise.

 

[Rahvar]

While the most recent NPD makes for nice reading for 'Starfield', it still continues to surprise me how little effect the game has on actual (Xbox) hardware sales — I already mentioned in the aforementioned thread about this, yet some folks didn't seem overly surprised for some peculiar reason.

If arguably the most persuasive/influential game out of their first party stable can't turn things around, what will?

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Bethesda games aren't really system sellers, the biggest crowd is on PC and Bethesda as a developer are fairly unknown outside of enthusiast circles.
People might know Skyrim but they don't know Bethesda, and the general console crowd that plays CoD, Fifa, Assassin's Creed might not even know Skyrim tbh

 

[Johnny Blaze]

While the most recent NPD makes for nice reading for 'Starfield', it still continues to surprise me how little effect the game has on actual (Xbox) hardware sales — I already mentioned in the aforementioned thread about this, yet some folks didn't seem overly surprised for some peculiar reason.

If arguably the most persuasive/influential game out of their first party stable can't turn things around, what will?

p.s. And the Switch came second in 'Starfield' month as well! Good grief…

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Its a very PC centric game as all BSG games are, and Europe is also PC land.

 

[Izanagi89]

Surprised MK1 took such a big knock. MK1's release feels muted compared to MK11. Maybe I'm just not paying enough attention to it. But looking at steam's peak CCU it's more or less the same as MK11.

 

[IIFloodyII]

What a great decision FIFA made for EA. Only dropping 10% must be very reassuring for EA.

If GTA 6 isn't the biggest launch for a piece of media ever it is underperforming my expectations at this stage. Gonna be a monster.

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If it doesn't like absolutely destroy the record (which I think GTA5 still holds lol) I'll be disappointed. I expected billions in the first week.

 

[shadowman16]

Bethesda games aren't really system sellers, the biggest crowd is on PC and Bethesda as a developer are fairly unknown outside of enthusiast circles.
People might know Skyrim but they don't know Bethesda, and the general console crowd that plays CoD, Fifa, Assassin's Creed might not even know Skyrim tbh

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Eh, your underselling it drastically. Oblivion AND Skyrim were huge deals on releases, and the game has still done several million in sales. Lets not pretend they are some unknown dev... even some of my more casual friends know Bethesda RPGs and they arent plugged into gaming news 24/7... I remember back around the 360s release that Oblivion was a big deal - this huge expansive RPG to play on the console, even I brought into it (Skyrim turned me off of their games though), but since Oblivion, they've been a bigger deal on consoles.
What's more strange is the bizarre lack of advertising for Starfield over here in the UK. Ive seen more ads for Sonic Superstars than I have for Starfield lol.

Surprised MK1 took such a big knock. MK1's release feels muted compared to MK11. Maybe I'm just not paying enough attention to it. But looking at steam's peak CCU it's more or less the same as MK11.

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Well one of the big single player modes has been a bit of a dud going by most feedback I see online. Plus online itself has been hit and miss, and heck it doesnt even have crossplay right now. I doubt SFVI's launch really made any difference on it, but its hard not to look at MK outside the presentation and feel that its somewhat lacking right now... (especially in online offerings). The first character pass hasnt exactly generated lots of hype either - either initially with some of the choices, the fact that certain wanted characters are releasing last, Ermac's awful design, people already starting to poke fun at Omni Man for reusing combo strings from existing characters... Its still a good game dont get me wrong, but it sorta feels like SF moved expectations, meanwhile MK is still trying to rely on pretty graphics, gore, a slick story mode (that again, people had issues with plot wise) while dropping the ball in online offerings (you know, where your core money/time spending fanbase will be)
If they dont pick up the pace, MK competitively could end up going the way of MK11... burning brightly, fading quickly.

 

[Naicore]

What a great decision FIFA made for EA. Only dropping 10% must be very reassuring for EA.

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10% down in sales, but avoid having to pay 250 million dollars for the Fifa name, I would honestly be happy with that trade.

 

[Rahvar]

Eh, your underselling it drastically. Oblivion AND Skyrim were huge deals on releases, and the game has still done several million in sales. Lets not pretend they are some unknown dev... even some of my more casual friends know Bethesda RPGs and they arent plugged into gaming news 24/7... I remember back around the 360s release that Oblivion was a big deal - this huge expansive RPG to play on the console, even I brought into it (Skyrim turned me off of their games though), but since Oblivion, they've been a bigger deal on consoles.
What's more strange is the bizarre lack of advertising for Starfield over here in the UK. Ive seen more ads for Sonic Superstars than I have for Starfield lol.

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I'm really not. I've worked in retail for 13 years and I meet these customers almost daily. They know almost nothing outside of CoD, Fifa, NHL over here. Assassin's Creed got big with Odyssey and the times I have brought up Skyrim or Starfield to customers or even co-workers, the majority have no idea what it is.
Obviously there are regional differences but those of us that use a video game forum vastly overestimate the cultural impact of most IPs

 

[Mass_Pincup]

Bethesda games aren't really system sellers, the biggest crowd is on PC and Bethesda as a developer are fairly unknown outside of enthusiast circles.
People might know Skyrim but they don't know Bethesda, and the general console crowd that plays CoD, Fifa, Assassin's Creed might not even know Skyrim tbh

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That's just not true, The Elder Scrolls and Fallout are about as mainstream as Red Dead Redemption, FIFA and Assassin's Creed.

There's very few studio as well known in the mainstream as Bethesda.

 

[EccoCid]

Bethesda games aren't really system sellers, the biggest crowd is on PC and Bethesda as a developer are fairly unknown outside of enthusiast circles.
People might know Skyrim but they don't know Bethesda, and the general console crowd that plays CoD, Fifa, Assassin's Creed might not even know Skyrim tbh

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Bethesda games werent a system seller because they were not used to be console exclusives for a long time. There is not enough data in oast of they moved consoles or not. Also general public and As Fifa crowd probably knows Skyrim, its a popular iconic game. And they dont need to know publishers name all they need to know that Starfield is Skyrim in space.

For me, Starfield was not good enough game to reach the status of Skyrim and it didnt move xbox consoles as much as they expected. Inferior product, inferior numbers.

 

[FlowingThot]

The 2nd best selling game of the month? Yeah it's a niche title.

 

[Oreiller]

Is this physical only or is digital included?

 

[Theorry]

Bethesda games werent a system seller because they were not used to be console exclusives for a long time. There is not enough data in oast of they moved consoles or not. Also general public and As Fifa crowd probably knows Skyrim, its a popular iconic game. And they dont need to know publishers name all they need to know that Starfield is Skyrim in space.

For me, Starfield was not good enough game to reach the status of Skyrim and it didnt move xbox consoles as much as they expected. Inferior product, inferior numbers.

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how do you know that?

 

[Cali32]

Is this physical only or is digital included?

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These monthly European charts include both physical and digital

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

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[NinjaLooter]

Bethesda games aren't really system sellers, the biggest crowd is on PC and Bethesda as a developer are fairly unknown outside of enthusiast circles.
People might know Skyrim but they don't know Bethesda, and the general console crowd that plays CoD, Fifa, Assassin's Creed might not even know Skyrim tbh

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I think Microsoft stil expects the game to move some hardware because it will be pretty idiotic to cancel the PS5 version if they don't.

 

[Gavalanche]

Europe really does not like Xbox.

Having said that, they are very PC orientated so it's not overly surprising that Starfield did great but Xbox did not.

 

[ArchLector]

If it doesn't like absolutely destroy the record (which I think GTA5 still holds lol) I'll be disappointed. I expected billions in the first week.

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Inflation alone means that it'll easily destroy the record. I am easily expecting more than a billion at launch day from just game sales.

I'm really not. I've worked in retail for 13 years and I meet these customers almost daily. They know almost nothing outside of CoD, Fifa, NHL over here. Assassin's Creed got big with Odyssey and the times I have brought up Skyrim or Starfield to customers or even co-workers, the majority have no idea what it is.
Obviously there are regional differences but those of us that use a video game forum vastly overestimate the cultural impact of most IPs

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What are you talking about, lol? Skyrim is easily among the top 5 best selling single player games ever, way more than any AC...

 

[Rahvar]

The 2nd best selling game of the month? Yeah it's a niche title.

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Let's be clear here, I am putting it together with titles like Witcher and Mass Effect. Huge game franchises but doesn't quite reach the casual console owners unless they have a friend who brings it up to them

 

[Rahvar]

Inflation alone means that it'll easily destroy the record. I am easily expecting more than a billion at launch day from just game sales.


What are you talking about, lol? Skyrim is easily among the top 5 best selling single player games ever, way more than any AC...

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Absolutely, and a vast majority of those sales are on PC. The people who buys a console for sports games and CoD are not PC gamers

 

[IIFloodyII]

10% down in sales, but avoid having to pay 250 million dollars for the Fifa name, I would honestly be happy with that trade.

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For sure I think it's basically just meeting the average launch sales, which I'm sure EA expected to be a couple years off, while they really get the "new FIFA" name to the masses who just play FIFA and don't pay any attention to anything else gaming related.

 

[Patrese86]

Even Starfield isn't shifting Xbox consoles.

The last two Xbox's I've had (series X and xb1x) have been lovely pieces of hardware but I don't see them making hardware much longer.

 

[ArchLector]

Absolutely, and a vast majority of those sales are on PC. The people who buys a console for sports games and CoD are not PC games

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That doesn't mean it's a niche game on consoles, your argument doesn't really make any sense. It sells more than Sony's flagship first party games too, you may as well say they are not console sellers either, lol.

 

[Dust]

Alright, at this point there is enough data. I don't think Starfield is what MS wanted it to be.

 

[Rahvar]

That doesn't mean it's a niche game on consoles, your argument doesn't really make any sense. It sells more than Sony's flagship first party games too, you may as well say they are not console sellers either, lol.

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I never said it was a niche game. If you read my previous post I compared it to Witcher and Mass Effect. Not being a system seller doesn't mean it doesn't sell amazingly well, it just means it sells to people who are more likely to own a console already and people who plays on PC .

 

[Vonterribad]

Alright, at this point there is enough data. I don't think Starfield is what MS wanted it to be.

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I dint think it means what you want it to mean.

 

[ArchLector]

I never said it was a niche game. If you read my previous post I compared it to Witcher and Mass Effect. Not being a system seller doesn't mean it doesn't sell amazingly well, it just means it sells to people who are more likely to own a console already.

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Actually your examples are detached from reality. ME is the one that doesn't sell out of those three, even for Bioware dragon age has always sold more. A new Bethesda game is way more popular and a console exclusive Bethesda game is (or should be) absolutely a system seller, just like Spidey or GoW.

 

[Hasney]

These sales are units based, right? Because it feels like even physical games have jumped up in price compared to last year. Was a struggle to find Spider-Man 2 under £50 now, when I was easily getting new launches under that.

 

[NinjaLooter]

Even Starfield isn't shifting Xbox consoles.

The last two Xbox's I've had (series X and xb1x) have been lovely pieces of hardware but I don't see them making hardware much longer.

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Honestly Microsoft being this mega publisher perfectly fits with what they want to be. They don't need to be a platform holder.

 

[elenarie]

Europe really does not like Xbox.

Having said that, they are very PC orientated so it's not overly surprising that Starfield did great but Xbox did not.

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Getting treated as second class citizens during Gen3 and early Gen4 sure does not pave the way for Europeans to like Xbox much.

 

[JuniperAndSage]

Alright, at this point there is enough data. I don't think Starfield is what MS wanted it to be.

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They said ahead of time they weren't expecting a hardware increase due to Starfield.

 

[Izanagi89]

Well one of the big single player modes has been a bit of a dud going by most feedback I see online. Plus online itself has been hit and miss, and heck it doesnt even have crossplay right now. I doubt SFVI's launch really made any difference on it, but its hard not to look at MK outside the presentation and feel that its somewhat lacking right now... (especially in online offerings). The first character pass hasnt exactly generated lots of hype either - either initially with some of the choices, the fact that certain wanted characters are releasing last, Ermac's awful design, people already starting to poke fun at Omni Man for reusing combo strings from existing characters... Its still a good game dont get me wrong, but it sorta feels like SF moved expectations, meanwhile MK is still trying to rely on pretty graphics, gore, a slick story mode (that again, people had issues with plot wise) while dropping the ball in online offerings (you know, where your core money/time spending fanbase will be)
If they dont pick up the pace, MK competitively could end up going the way of MK11... burning brightly, fading quickly.

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Which is wild considering NRS games have been I guess the "gold standard" when it comes to the full package for a fighting game but they seem to have misfired on numerous fronts. Doesn't seem like the game is terrible by any means but I was expecting it to be bigger than what it currently is I guess. Still can't believe they launched without crossplay too.

 

[Theorry]

Even Starfield isn't shifting Xbox consoles.

The last two Xbox's I've had (series X and xb1x) have been lovely pieces of hardware but I don't see them making hardware much longer.

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any day now since 2002

 

[Rahvar]

Actually your examples are detached from reality. ME is the one that doesn't sell out of those three, even for Bioware dragon age has always sold more. A new Bethesda game is way more popular and a console exclusive Bethesda game is (or should be) absolutely a system seller, just like Spidey or GoW.

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One, I don't see the need to be hostile. We're discussing something right?
Two, as I have said several times, I am not talking about sales numbers. I am talking about breaching outside the gamer sphere. Sure, Mass Effect was a more relevant comparison a decade ago. Witcher is also way beyond any Bethesda game because of the Netflix show.
Going to say this again, I am not saying that their games aren't selling well. I am saying that they sell to people who are already likely to own consoles at this point in the generation and PC players. I have not at any point said that they sell poorly, are niche etc etc.

A vast majority of game console customers that I have seen in over a decade of being in the business buys a Playstation or Xbox for sports games/CoD and a Nintendo console for Nintendo games. They do not know the vast majority of game developer studios, don't know that game x is made by the same people as game y unless it is a direct sequel.

 

[IIFloodyII]

Didn't MS pretty much say they expect very little hardware growth even with Starfield? I think they've already figured PC will probably more and more be where their games get the most software sales (not really surprising) and growth with Xbox being pretty much maxed out, which does seem like Starfield did (whether they stay subbed or just go back to only buying stuff on Steam is probably what they are more interested in).

 

[Copilot]

Even Starfield isn't shifting Xbox consoles.

The last two Xbox's I've had (series X and xb1x) have been lovely pieces of hardware but I don't see them making hardware much longer.

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I believe they are shifting to a more profitable Nintendo-like hardware business model. Hence why the U$349,90 Xbox Series S 1TB, less frequent Xbox Series S 512GB price cuts and no price cuts at all to Xbox Series X.

Playstation is selling more, but their profits are plummenting.

 

[plow]

I could understand Series S/X not having a huge bump, but it going down 35% with arguably it's biggest release in years is not a good look.

Playstation is selling more, but their profits are plummenting.

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That's a bit extreme. As far as we know a playstation console is just a lot more profitable than a Series X console, so Sony can easily go down with price while still having a decent profit margin. Of course decreasing the price means they've a smaller profit margin, but if it means they sell a lot more consoles it's more profit in the end. I wouldn't certainly call it "plummenting".

 

[Deluxera]

Starfield is for Xbox what FFXVI was to Playstation. A good game that appeals to a certain audience but not mainstream enough to reach people outside of their circles like Zelda may do for instance.

The big difference is that Starfield was on Steam day one, because Xbox wants software sales more than hardware sales, while Playstation is the exact opposite.

 

[Bulby]

If this is just mainland Europe I can understand that the majority of Starfield players would be on PC.

Still, it's not a good sign for their console business that it's still so heavily down for this particular month.

 

[plow]

The big difference is that Starfield was on Steam day one, because Xbox wants software sales more than hardware sales, while Playstation is the exact opposite.

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The big difference is that Bethesda is a MS owned Studio and Square Enix is not an Playstation studio.

 

[Kemono]

I believe they are shifting to a more profitable Nintendo-like hardware business model. Hence why the U$349,90 Xbox Series S 1TB, less frequent Xbox Series S 512GB price cuts and no price cuts at all to Xbox Series X.

Playstation is selling more, but their profits are plummenting.

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Playstation makes money with every sold PS5 since like the 3rd or 4th month of its release.

PS profits are plummeting? Did i miss a big sales update from Sony?

 

[LinkStrikesBack]

Honestly Microsoft being this mega publisher perfectly fits with what they want to be. They don't need to be a platform holder.

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They want to be a platform holder, but they want that platform to be gamepass. It's been clear for ages that Microsofts hope is to devalue the value of software in order to shift playing habits in their favour, since they clearly can't compete with Sony/Nintendo in the traditional space. There's far too much money involved in being a platform holder for any of them to willingly give it up.

 

[Deluxera]

The big difference is that Bethesda is a MS owned Studio and Square Enix is not an Playstation studio.

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I don't see why it matters in that context. Both games are console exclusives as far as I know.

 

[IIFloodyII]

I believe they are shifting to a more profitable Nintendo-like hardware business model. Hence why the U$349,90 Xbox Series S 1TB, less frequent Xbox Series S 512GB price cuts and no price cuts at all to Xbox Series X.

Playstation is selling more, but their profits are plummenting.

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PlayStation has been on that model since the PS4. The PS3 being so expensive to make changed everything for them.

They were selling the PS5 at a profit pretty quickly this gen and have done constant revisions to cut the cost, while increasing the price. Their profits aren't plummeting from Hardware, they are just being even more aggressive than they were last gen, but doesn't seem like they will do a permanent price drop this time to keep them in line with whatever profit margins they aim for and are just doing sale periods instead.

 

[fourfourfun]

I'm really not. I've worked in retail for 13 years and I meet these customers almost daily. They know almost nothing outside of CoD, Fifa, NHL over here. Assassin's Creed got big with Odyssey and the times I have brought up Skyrim or Starfield to customers or even co-workers, the majority have no idea what it is.
Obviously there are regional differences but those of us that use a video game forum vastly overestimate the cultural impact of most IPs

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Yeah, they are big games, but I doubt anybody but enthusiasts are getting excited about buying a console for a Bethesda game as the tipping point. It's not like Mario Kart where new machine and MK are synonymous, and BOTW absolutely sold me a switch. Might change over time as they become established as platform specific.

I did buy a PS3 for Oblivion, but that was because it ran like sin on my PC and it was part of a collective tipping point for the platform along with BC and potential MGS and Final Fantasy down the line.