Xbox sales in Europe don’t appear too encouraging.
Analysis conducted by GamesIndustry.biz suggests that Xbox Series X and S consoles have fallen out of favor in Europe, falling by 52% year-on-year sales figures to trail behind both PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch sales considerably.
European gamers purchased 10.21 million console and PC games during October 2023, revealing several trends. Xbox’s decline could be linked to Sony’s exclusives: PS5 sales were up 143% year over year due to Spider-Man 2 release, among other reasons.
Sony and Nintendo remain key rivals, although not exclusively so. Nintendo continues to outdo Xbox with exclusives of its own such as Super Mario Bros Wonder which launched this October and saw both an increase in sales while Xbox sales decreased by 20% year over year.
Exclusives have long been the cornerstone of console sales, so its release simultaneously on both Xbox 360 and PC contributed significantly to a decline. Game Pass makes this standard practice, yet makes gaming less likely for average consumers since Game Pass makes accessing titles cheaper and makes subscription-based services like it appealing instead.
Compare exclusives across platforms and it becomes obvious that iconic IPs like Spider-Man and Mario dominate. Although Starfield reportedly sold 10 million copies, Xbox needs to gain the trust of developers if its hardware division wants to survive.
Xbox recently sent shockwaves through the industry by purchasing Activision-Blizzard-King, so we may see fortunes shift once its studios start producing games for Xbox. StealthOptional reported on Sony delaying several planned live-service titles while Halo Infinite is reaching new heights with its fifth season; we will keep reporting as developments unfold but suffice it to say, it promises to be exciting times ahead in this ever-raging console war!
