After one of the vital release-heavy months of the yr (or probably of any yr), Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 got here out on the highest of the gross sales charts within the U.S. in response to industry-tracking agency Circana. Not solely did Insomniac’s new title prime the month’s best-seller chart (and was one among 9 new releases to make it onto the listing), it additionally made it to fourth place within the year-to-date bestseller chart. Online game {hardware} gross sales plummeted year-over-year, although, and online game gross sales total dipped by 5%.
October 2023 Greenback Gross sales, Tens of millions | Oct 2022 |
Oct 2023 |
Change |
Whole Video Sport Gross sales | $4,271 | $4,036 | -5% |
Video Sport Content material (Bodily & Digital Full Sport, DLC/MTX and Subscription client spending throughout Console, Cloud, Cellular*, Transportable, PC and VR platforms) | $3,694 | $3,562 | -4% |
Video Sport {Hardware} | $426 | $327 | -23% |
Video Sport Equipment | $151 | $147 | -2% |
“Spending on video game content in October fell 4% when compared to a year ago, to $3.6 billion.” stated Mat Piscatella, Circana’s govt producer for video games studies. “Growth in physical console software and mobile spending was offset by declines in other areas, particularly digital premium downloads driven by the release date shift of Call of Duty.”
{Hardware} gross sales normally have already been barely in decline for the previous couple of months, although 23% is a big share even by comparability. That’s to not say 2023 up to now is a disappointment, as {hardware} gross sales are nonetheless up 6% for the year-to-date in contrast with 2022. Nonetheless, this brings the expansion share of all gross sales to 2%.
Yr-to-Date 2023 Greenback Gross sales, Tens of millions | YTD Finish Oct 2022 |
YTD Finish Oct 2023 |
Change |
Whole Video Sport Gross sales | $42,701 | $43,416 | 2% |
Video Sport Content material (Bodily & Digital Full Sport, DLC/MTX and Subscription client spending throughout Console, Cloud, Cellular*, Transportable, PC and VR platforms) | $37,184 | $37,640 | 1% |
Video Sport {Hardware} | $3,785 | $4,025 | 6% |
Video Sport Equipment | $1,732 | $1,751 | 1% |
Piscatella notes, “All current generation consoles experienced a double-digit percentage decline in dollar sales when compared to a year ago. PlayStation 5 was the best-selling hardware platform in both unit and dollar sales during October 2023. Xbox Series ranked 2nd in dollar sales, while Switch was #2 in units.” He added that the yr’s total 3% development forecast could also be in danger and will come right down to Name of Obligation’s end-of-year gross sales.
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Circana October 2023: Prime 20 best-selling video games within the U.S.
Rank | Final Month Rank |
Title | Writer |
1 | NEW | Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | Sony (Corp) |
2 | NEW | Tremendous Mario Bros. Surprise* | Nintendo |
3 | NEW | Murderer’s Creed: Mirage | Ubisoft |
4 | 4 | Madden NFL 24 | Digital Arts |
5 | 3 | EA Sports activities FC 24 | Digital Arts |
6 | 2 | Mortal Kombat 1 | Warner Bros. Video games |
7 | NEW | UFC 5 | Digital Arts |
8 | NEW | NHL 24 | Digital Arts |
9 | NEW | Sonic Superstars | Sega |
10 | 9 | Hogwarts Legacy | Warner Bros. Video games |
11 | 10 | Name of Obligation: Trendy Warfare 2 (2022) | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
12 | NEW | Metallic Gear Stable: Grasp Assortment Vol. 1 | Konami Digital Ent. |
13 | 6 | NBA 2K24* | Take 2 Interactive (Corp) |
14 | 1 | Starfield | Microsoft (Corp) |
15 | 18 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Leisure |
16 | 7 | The Crew: Motorfest | Ubisoft |
17 | NEW | Forza Motorsport (2023) | Microsoft (Corp) |
18 | 11 | Star Wars: Jedi: Survivor | Digital Arts |
19 | 14 | Minecraft | A number of Video Sport Producers |
20 | NEW | Lords of the Fallen (2023) | CI Video games |
As acknowledged, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is the largest, best-selling sport of October, simply beating out Tremendous Mario Bros Surprise. That being stated, Nintendo doesn’t disclose digital gross sales knowledge to Circana, so digital gross sales mixed with bodily might make the race nearer. Murderer’s Creed Mirage is pulling up third regardless of the crowding is probably going as a result of franchise’s longtime attraction and the truth that it was launched very early within the month and had extra time to build up gross sales.
It’s maybe not a shock that extra sports activities titles made it onto the listing: UFC 5 and NHL 24 each joined Madden NFL 24 and EA Sports activities FC 24 on the listing. The previous two aren’t as outstanding brand-wise because the latter two, however UFC specifically nonetheless has robust identify recognition. NHL 24’s gameplay modifications may also be a part of its attraction, although the earlier entry within the collection additionally charted pretty excessive on final yr’s listing.
October actually was a packed month
Having coated the NPD/Circana studies for some time, I can safely say that 9 is the very best variety of new video games that I’ve seen on the Prime 20 best-sellers listing. The truth that this nonetheless doesn’t contact each single October launch says so much about how packed the month was. Alan Wake II, one of many greatest releases of the month isn’t even on the listing, as Piscatella notes that it launched on the very finish of the reporting interval and Epic Video games didn’t disclose digital gross sales to Circana.
Other than the highest three titles and the brand new sports activities titles, Sonic Superstars additionally made it into the month’s Prime 10, which is probably going as a result of energy of Sonic’s model. The Metallic Gear Stable: Grasp Assortment was the subsequent one up, with Forza Motorsport coming in slightly below The Crew: Motorfest. The Lords of the Fallen reboot simply managed to squeak onto the listing at spot 20. I’d be concerned with seeing if any of October’s different releases simply missed the Prime 20.
Circana October 2023: Greatest-selling video games of the yr up to now
Rank | Final Month Rank |
Title | Writer |
1 | 1 | Hogwarts Legacy | Warner Bros. Video games |
2 | 2 | The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom* | Nintendo |
3 | 3 | Madden NFL 24 | Digital Arts |
4 | NEW | Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 | Sony (Corp) |
5 | 4 | Diablo IV | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
6 | 5 | Name of Obligation: Trendy Warfare 2 (2022) | Activision Blizzard (Corp) |
7 | 6 | Star Wars: Jedi: Survivor | Digital Arts |
8 | 8 | Mortal Kombat 1 | Warner Bros. Video games |
9 | 7 | Starfield | Microsoft (Corp) |
10 | 9 | Resident Evil 4 (2023) | Capcom USA |
11 | 10 | MLB: The Present 23^ | A number of Video Sport Producers |
12 | 14 | EA Sports activities FC 24 | Digital Arts |
13 | 11 | Lifeless Island 2 | Plaion |
14 | 12 | Last Fantasy XVI | Sq. Enix Inc (Corp) |
15 | 13 | Road Fighter 6 | Capcom USA |
16 | 15 | FIFA 23 | Digital Arts |
17 | 17 | Elden Ring | Bandai Namco Leisure |
18 | 16 | Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon | Bandai Namco Leisure |
19 | 18 | Remnant II | Gearbox Publishing |
20 | 19 | Lifeless House (2023) | Digital Arts |
It’s really fairly shocking that, out of all of the October video games that made it onto the month-to-month best-seller listing, just one made it onto the year-to-date best-seller listing. It’s doable that Tremendous Mario Bros Surprise’s undisclosed digital gross sales could have additionally put it onto this listing, however we’re not prone to know. The remainder of the listing stays largely unchanged, with Hogwarts Legacy holding its place within the prime spot and the opposite shuffled round barely in October.
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