GI.Biz: PS5 sales surge over 300% in the UK during February, Xbox down 5%, Switch down 29%

[Unchained]

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/ps5-sales-surge-over-300-in-the-uk-during-february-uk-monthly-charts

The UK games market posted strong sales in February due to the performance of two products: Hogwarts Legacy and PlayStation 5.

2.8 million console and PC games were sold across the UK during February, up 11% over the year before. This data is for all physical games, plus AAA titles from most major publishers (courtesy of GSD).

Hogwarts Legacy was by far and away the biggest game of the month. Its launch week was 100% bigger than last February's hit video game, Elden Ring. In fact, the game is already on the brink of over-taking Elden Ring in all-time sales after just three weeks. It is currently the sixth best-selling video game from the last 12 months.

Hogwarts Legacy makes up for a month that was a little lighter on new games compared with last year. February 2022 also saw the release of Horizon: Forbidden West, Dying Light 2 and Total War: Warhammer 3. This month, the highest charting new releases outside of Hogwarts is Undisputed, the boxing game from Plaion, which debuts at No.13. Elsewhere, Atomic Heart charted at No.17, although the game was a Day One title in Game Pass, which may explain why 85% of its sales were on PS5 and PC.

The other slightly notable thing in the February charts is the return of The Last of Us titles. The Last of Us: Part 2 is at No.7, with sales more than double the month before. Meanwhile The Last of Us Remastered is at No.14, with sales up over 50%. There is also an increase for The Last of Us Part 1 on PS5 (No.19). These jumps are from a relatively low base, so the overall sales figures are not particularly huge, but it shows that the games have benefitted from the HBO series based on the IP, which started in January.

Meanwhile, PS5 sales increase further in February

February console sales are up 65% over the same month last year, and up 14% over January, to 143,000 hardware units sold (GfK panel data, not upweighted).

PS5 sales are up 316% over the same period the year before, and up 27% over January. Year-to-date, PS5 hardware is up 180% over the first two months of 2022. The PS5 was severely impacted at the beginning of last year due to stock shortages.

The Xbox Series S and X platforms saw sales increase 21% in February compared with January, and are 15% up over February last year. Year-to-date, the platform's sales are down slightly by 5.3%.

….and DualSense is still the top accessory

GfK panel data shows that 511,680 add-on products were sold at UK retail during February, a drop of 17% over January and down 14.4% over February 2022.

The chart is dominated by controllers, with the PS5 DualSense controlling the Top Three positions. The White variety is at No.1, the Grey Camo version is at No.2, and the Midnight Black version is at No.3. The Carbon Black Xbox controller is at No.4.

 

[Loy310]

god damn

 

[Deleted member 417]

Instead of buying an Xbox, most UK console gamers just waited for Xmas to pass by so they could pick up a PS5? That's insane.

 

[Gods&Monsters]

Garbox is down 5% even if they are the only other platform with Hogwarts Legacy LMAO

Hogwarts is pushing more PS5s than their own exclusives. WB and Sony needs to take note and continue that partnership.

 

[Swift_Star]

Installbase and Era are probably on suicide watch.

 

[SLB1904]

You gonna learn today

Probably jimbo to Phillip

 

[KiryuRealty]

And this is why Xbox has no future.

 

[alphachino]

And this is why Xbox has no future.

As a hardware platform, most certainly.

I'd love them to drop the hardware and focus on being a 3rd party publisher. It would honestly be awesome to have their games on PS5. If not via Game Pass, I'd still possibly buy their games from the Store if they made them available, like with Steam. The only difference between console and PC is that MS have console hardware that is competing with PS. Cut that out and everybody benefits.

 

[Entropi]

I’m getting some deja vu vibes here. Was January similar?

 

[alphachino]

I’m getting some deja vu vibes here. Was January similar?

Jan it was 202% up from the same month in 2022

 

[Doncortez77]

Installbase and Era are probably on suicide watch.

Live view of ERA reading this news:

 

[alphachino]

I reckon for March Sony might possibly see a 400% increase and a 500% increase in May or June. It makes sense that as the months passed by in 2022, there would be dwindling PS5s supplies until the market was dry. There were many months where PS5s were nowhere to be found. I wouldn't be surprised if they hit 1000% increases too

 

[Remember_Spinal]

I’ll post what i posted on Gaf:

This is what i keep telling people. Naughty Dog doesn’t have to have the highest selling game (while still pretty high) to be the most important studio at SIE. They have pretty much set the trajectory of the playstation at every phase.

First iwth platformers like Crash, then with “movie games” (action games) like Uncharted, then with “oscar bait” games like TLOU, now they are setting the trend with multimedia projects and i’m 100% Factions will be sonys first majorly successful multiplayer game in well over a decade

 

[Bryank75]

Stock seems to be very high here in Ireland, hard to know exactly how they are selling but the local Gamestop says they are selling very well.

Very anxious to see the sales figures in the quarterly...should be around the start of May.

 

[Swift_Star]

Live view of ERA reading this news:

some are already using this as reason for the CMA not block the merge... why, oh god, why can't they simply demand xbox to be more competent?

 

[Swift_Star]

I’ll post what i posted on Gaf:

This is what i keep telling people. Naughty Dog doesn’t have to have the highest selling game (while still pretty high) to be the most important studio at SIE. They have pretty much set the trajectory of the playstation at every phase.

First iwth platformers like Crash, then with “movie games” (action games) like Uncharted, then with “oscar bait” games like TLOU, now they are setting the trend with multimedia projects and i’m 100% Factions will be sonys first majorly successful multiplayer game in well over a decade

If factions really do good, we can say FU to CoD. Imagine if Factions could replace Cod, it would be a beautiful middle finger to xbots and MS.

 

[Remember_Spinal]

If factions really do good, we can say FU to CoD. Imagine if Factions could replace Cod, it would be a beautiful middle finger to xbots and MS.

I would love if COD just went exclusive and faded into the bro-gamer only background

 

[Doncortez77]

Sales will now be interesting for here on out now that none of the console manufacture is dealing with chip and component issues at the time.

The market will now choose with their wallet for which of the gaming systems they find the most compelling with it comes to their gaming needs.

Once Sony gets a momentum, there is no stopping this train as long as they keep providing quality experiences.

 

[Gods&Monsters]

The market will now choose with their wallet for which of the gaming systems they find the most compelling with it comes to their gaming needs.

Customers made their choices very clear over and over again but MS is so rich they can use their bank account to influence the market, buy publishers and their IPs to hurt Sony and their customers. It is scary but only the regulators can stop them at this point.

 

[Swift_Star]

Customers made their choices very clear over and over again but MS is so rich they can use their bank account to influence the market, buy publishers and their IPs to hurt Sony and their customers. It is scary but only the regulators can stop them at this point.

At this point, I think if Sony play their cards right, even if the deal goes through, not even CoD exclusivity will save MS.