Game news Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 is not GTA 6: This FPS may not save video games in 2023
Despite a year 2023 rich in excellent video games, the market does not seem to be in the best shape. While estimates put 2023 as a year of growth, Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 sales could disappoint the market.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 may not save video games this year
Hogwarts Legacy, Baldur’s Gate 3, Zelda Tears of the Kingdom, Diablo IV, Alan Wake 2… The year 2023 was absolutely packed with excellent games. While we saw the new Zelda win the Game Awards hands down before its release, nothing is less certain now as the rest of the year’s releases could be sitting at the same table. However, Despite all these titles of undeniable quality, the video game market is in danger of not reaching the expected sales estimates for 2023. In any case, this appears to be the case Matt Piscatellaanalyst specialized in the video game industry at NPD:
Quick hit US VG market increases –
– Hardware down 23%, not surprising, but probably lower than manufacturers were hoping for – more discounts/promotions coming
– The 3% growth forecast for 2023 carries a bit of risk now and will ultimately come down to how Call of Duty performs in November/December
– Big Phys SW month— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) November 15, 2023
Brief summary of the state of play in the American video game market:
– Hardware sales fell 23%, which isn’t surprising, but is probably lower than what manufacturers were hoping for. More discounts and promotions are expected.
– The estimated 3% sales increase in 2023 seems to be in jeopardy, everything would depend on Call of Duty sales in November/December
– Big month for software sales
You will have understood: although a turnover increase of 3% was assumed for the year 2023, nothing is less certain at the moment. This is mainly the fault of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, whose sales may not reach the expected figures. It has to be said that Activision’s latest game has received the worst reviews on Metacritic since the series’ debut, which shouldn’t help sales. Fortunately, everything isn’t too bad, as game sales seem to have had a nice impact this month.
A Switch 2 that will be back on track in 2024?
But while sales of consoles and other gaming accessories have fallen drastically this year, things could change in 2024. Although Nintendo hasn’t revealed anything on this subject yet, manufacturers and other market analysts estimate that the Japanese company could release a new machine next yearand more specifically in the second semester:
– The market needs new NIN HW in 2024, with a release still expected in the second half of the year
– Really strong performance for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, largely helped by higher ASP versus first game
– The biggest insights come from the engagement graphs, including sub and beta impact— Mat Piscatella (@MatPiscatella) November 15, 2023
– The market will need new Nintendo hardware in 2024, the release of which is still estimated in the second half of the year.
– Very strong performance for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, largely helped by a higher average price per sale than the first game.
Obviously, this is all just speculation, as we’ll have to wait for official communication from Nintendo to find out more. However, it is true that many indications point to a new console from the Japanese manufacturer for next year, which could well help the state of the video game hardware market. Mat Piscatella still ends his analysis by highlighting the impressive achievements of Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 while we consider that the game was more expensive than the first, which necessarily has an impact on the figures.
It remains to be seen whether Call of Duty will manage to save the furniture, or even more surprisingly, whether Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora will achieve higher sales than analysts could have estimated. All is not lost in achieving the estimated 3% increase in the video game market by 2023, although we should expect possible disappointment.