GfK: Physical games sales in the UK during the Black Friday 2022 dropped but overall revenue increased
The audience is bending to the digital games.
Games
GfK is recording only physical copies sales, so the decline speaks more about an interest in the digital versions than of a market negative trend.
Games’ physical sales last year were better by 15%.
The decline is happening second consecutive year. In 2021 physical games results were 10% lower than in 2020.
The main title of Black Friday 2022 in the UK was FIFA 23 (sales increased by 95%). Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was back in second place (+9% in sales). Pokemon Scarlet went to third place, while Pokemon Violet ended in sixth. Both games lost about 64% in sales.
Consoles
Nintendo Switch became the most popular console of Black Friday 2022 in the UK with 42% of console sales.
Xbox Series S was about to take the lead. It had 40% of sales thanks to the huge discount.
The remaining part of sales was taken by PlayStation 5, the digital version of which received a minor discount.
Overall
If we’ll sum up sales of games, consoles, and accessories, Black Friday 2022 financial results in the UK were 4% better than in 2021.
41% of revenue has been made by consoles; 39% by accessories, and only 21% by physical games copies.