The UK gaming industry experienced a notable increase in December 2023, with a 2% rise in game sales compared to the same month in 2022. This surge, accounting for a total of 6.9 million digital and physical games sold, comes despite a relatively quiet period for new releases, as reported by GSD data which monitors both physical and major publisher digital game sales.
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EA Sports FC 24 Leads the Charts
EA Sports FC 24 emerged as the top-selling game in December, boosted by pre-Christmas promotions. Its rise to the number one spot comes after the previous month's leader, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, dropped to second place.
Hogwarts Legacy and Super Mario Bros Wonder also witnessed significant sales growth, making them popular choices during the festive season. Notably, Super Mario Bros Wonder had its best sales month since its release in October.
New Entrants and Console Sales
Ubisoft's Avatar Frontiers of Pandora made a strong debut, securing the eighth position in December's charts. The month also saw an increase in console sales, with nearly 500,000 units sold in the UK.
PS5 and Nintendo Switch Lead Console Sales
The PS5 continued to dominate as the top-selling console, despite a 19% drop in sales compared to November. The Nintendo Switch followed, experiencing a substantial 39% sales increase from the previous month, while Xbox Series S and X saw a 6% rise, positioning them in third place.
Spike in Accessory Sales
December 2023 was also a remarkable month for gaming accessories, with sales of 2.07 million products, a significant 63% increase from November and 10% higher than the same period last year.
The boost in console sales influenced the high demand for controllers, especially the White and Midnight Black DualSense controllers. The PS4's DualShock 4 controller also re-entered the top ten in accessory sales.
Top 10 Games in UK for December 2023
1. EA Sports FC 24 (EA)
2. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 (Activision Blizzard)
3. Hogwarts Legacy (Warner Bros)
4. Super Mario Bros Wonder (Nintendo)
5. Grand Theft Auto 5 (Rockstar)
6. Spider-Man 2 (Sony)
7. Mario Kart 8: Deluxe (Nintendo)
8. Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (Ubisoft)
9. Red Dead Redemption 2 (Rockstar)
10. Nintendo Switch Sports (Nintendo)
The December 2023 UK gaming market data highlights a resilient industry, with a mix of established and new titles driving growth in both game and console sales. The strong performance of leading franchises and the steady demand for gaming accessories point towards a robust gaming ecosystem in the UK.
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