If the video game industry is larger than that of cinema and music combined in terms of turnover, it is difficult to imagine the reasons behind the staggering number of layoffs it is currently experiencing.
The figures that we will present to you today will also be able to show you to what extent the French video game market is doing well, having exceeded 6 billion euros for an increase of 9.9%.
Knowing that in France more than 7 out of 10 French people play video games at least occasionally, it is not surprising that the market is in good shape in France. Without further ado, here are the figures revealed by SELL (the Union of Leisure Software Publishers)
The 3 best sellers of 2023
Let’s not forget that digital sales are not taken into account for Nintendo titles here, only sales in physical format.
This is how, without much surprise, EA Sports FC 24 still simply called FIFA 24 by aficionados of the title, once again finds itself at the head of the ranking. Indeed, the license has little to do with first place for years in France.
This year again, players fell for it despite the fact that there hasn’t necessarily been any major development in the title for a while. This did not prevent the title from selling exactly 1,477,448 units.
Comes next Hogwarts Legacy: Hogwarts Legacyreleased at the start of 2023. It was obvious given the popularity of the Harry Potter license that the title was going to be a hit, in particular allowing you to wander around at leisure in a Hogwarts being admirably well modeled.
Now available on all platforms, it has enjoyed real success in France with 1,147,419 games sold on all consoles, apart from the digital versions of the Switch.
About it, The Legend of Zelda Tears of the Kingdom available on Switch only is the third best-selling game with 973,955 copies sold.
Once again, the digital versions are not taken into account in the total sales, which could therefore have been placed higher in the ranking with this essential data that Nintendo decides not to communicate.
But where are Call of and Baldur’s Gates?
Astonishment, Call of Duty and Baldur’s Gates their absence in this top 3 does not stand out. The latest Call of is not part of the ranking even though it has been at the top of the charts for the last five years.
It seems that this Call of Duty Modern Warfare III did not really appeal to either our tester or the French compared to previous editions. As for Baldur’s Gates, one might wonder how it’s possible that it’s not even in the top 20 when it won a bunch of awards for being Game of the Year.
The Larian studio has decided not to transmit sales information specific to France, and therefore this one is not part of the top despite its popularity.
The top 20
As for the top 20, here is the complete list:
- EA Sports FC 24
- Hogwarts Legacy
- The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
- Super Mario Bros. Wonder
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare III
- FIFA 23
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- Marvel’s Spider-Man 2
- Assassin’s Creed Mirage
- Minecraft Nintendo Switch Edition
- Gran Turismo 7
- Call of Duty Modern Warfare II
- Star Wars Jedi Survivor
- Diablo IV
- Red Dead Redemption 2
- The Crew Motorfest
- Grand Theft Auto Online
- NBA 2K24
- Animal Crossing New Horizons
Last week’s best-selling games
For your information, the best-selling games last week were Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on PS5, Super Mario Bros. Wonderthe eternal champion always present Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, WWE 2K24 and Mario VS. Donkey Kong. Proof of this is that the Nintendo Switch has not yet said its last word in France.
