the French market regains color in 2023 thanks to the surge in console sales

Console sales have exceeded one billion euros in revenue for the first time since the late 2000s.

The 6 billion euros turnover mark has been crossed: after a slight decline (1.6%) in 2022, the French video game market returned to growth last year thanks to the resumption of sales of latest generation consoles, according to a report published Wednesday March 20.

This “new historic peak” at 6.1 billion euros, achieved in a macroeconomic context of high inflation, “establishes France today as one of the most dynamic markets in Europe”underlines James Rebours, president of the Union of Leisure Software Publishers (Sell), author of the study with four partners (GSD, GameTrack, IDC and data.ai).

While sales suffered last year from semiconductor supply shortages, preventing manufacturers of the new PlayStation 5 (Sony) and Xbox Series (Microsoft) consoles from meeting strong demand from gamers, “the catch-up effect” was spectacular in 2023. As a result, console sales jumped 72% year-on-year, exceeding one billion euros in revenue for the first time since 2007-2009, according to the authors of the study.

Football and Harry Potter at the top of the pyramid

Over the period, the French video game market also relies on other solid growth drivers, such as sales of games (“software”) on consoles and PC which continue to grow (+7% to 2.25 billion euros). As for the most popular games, it was once again the annual edition of Electronic Arts’ football simulation which dominated the rankings despite the abandonment of the name “Fifa”, with 1.477 million copies sold every year. platforms combined (physical and digital market, excluding Nintendo digital sales data).

EA Sports FC 24which has almost reached 100 million euros in turnover in 2023, has thus outstripped the game taking place in the world of Harry Potter Hogwarts Legacy, which accumulated 1.147 million sales over the year. Nintendo’s Switch console placed four titles in the Top 20, thanks in particular to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom And Super Mario Bros. Wonderthird and fourth in the ranking with respectively nearly a million and more than 750,000 copies sold.