The release of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 has significantly boosted US video game spending in October. According to Circana's report, combined sales of hardware, software, and accessories reached $4.7 billion, a 10% year-over-year increase. The success of Black Ops 6 has propelled the Call of Duty franchise past 500 million units sold, solidifying its place as one of the best-selling game franchises ever.
Content spending reached $4.23 billion, a 12% rise compared to October 2023, while hardware sales declined by 23% to $249 million. Black Ops 6 debuted at number one in the October charts, becoming the third best-selling game of 2024 so far.
The game's day-one release on Game Pass also contributed to a 16% year-over-year increase in non-mobile game subscription spending. Xbox confirmed that Black Ops 6 broke records for Game Pass subscriptions in late October.
Console content spending saw a substantial 27% increase, primarily driven by digital full-game sales. PlayStation platforms accounted for a dominant 82% of Black Ops 6's total console full-game dollar sales during October.
"Over its first two weeks in market, full game dollar sales of Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 were 23% higher than the full game dollar sales of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 over its first two weeks in a market a year ago," - Mat Piscatella, Circana.
Other top-selling games during the October 6th to November 2nd period included:
- Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
- Silent Hill 2
- Metaphor: ReFantazio
