For the period from January 29 to February 25, 2023, the video game industry in the United States generated $4.6 billion in revenue, a 6% increase from February 2022. All credit goes to sales of consoles and more in particularly of PS5, whose finally substantial stocks allow the turnover hardware to jump 68% compared to last year. It’s simple, with $495 million generated from console sales, we hadn’t seen the segment hardware also in shape at this time of year for 14 years ($534 million in February 2009).
The PS5 rocket takes off for good
The availability of the PS5 is therefore the essential factor in this fine result, with the Sony Interactive Entertainment console taking the lead in sales measured by volume or value at the start of the year. In fact, by scratching a bit to get some extra information, we find out that the PS5 has made it best month February all PlayStation consoles combined. For now, the Xbox Series is not benefiting from the same improvement: it is the Switch that has been in second place in sales since the beginning of the year.
Prince Harry, yes, he is
Less striking is the increase in sales of games and content, turnover software amounting to $3.89 billion against $3.83 billion last year, but the mere fact that there is an increase is already an achievement, knowing that the month of February 2022 had set the bar high with titles like Elden Ring, Horizon Forbidden West and Dying Light 2: Stay Human. This year, no less than 7 novelties appear in the top 20. But the prowess is of course due to one title in particular.
With 12 million games sold worldwide in a 2-week span, Hogwarts Legacy: The Legacy of Hogwarts has exceeded all expectations and kicked off even stronger than the Elden Ring phenomenon, while the WB game Games has managed without the PS4, Xbox One and Switch editions. Logically, the Harry Potter game immediately takes its place at the top of the year’s sales and it will be interesting to see how long it can stay there, as will the FromSoftware game which held its position until the record launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 in November.
Courtesy of HBO
The other new releases are in the center of the table, honoring in order Wild Hearts (#8), Like a Dragon: Ishin (#9), Octopath Traveler II (#10), Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe (# 15) , Company of Heroes 3 (#16) and even Theatrhythm Final Bar Line (#20). At Nintendo, content with a short month with 3 games in the top 20, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe clearly doesn’t start on the same footing as Kirby and the Forgotten World, but the opposite would have been surprising. If Fire Emblem Engage made it out of the top 20 like Forspoken and One Piece Odyssey, the tactical role-playing game is still one of the bestsellers of the current year.
Already noticeable in January, the HBO effect is even more apparent in the February ranking. The Last of Us Part I gains a few more places as a result and takes 6th place, just that. And why not aim for the top 10 again in March with the reinforcement of the PC version? At the same time, the strongest progression of the month has to be attributed to The Last of Us Part II, which returns to the top 20 while the PS4 exclusive didn’t even make the top 40 a month earlier. Here are those who didn’t have the patience to wait for Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey to shoot Season 2.
- Also read | The results of the past month
