Hidden Gems Dominate Gaming’s Most Surprising Sales Charts
▼ Summary
– Circana analyst Mat Piscatella shares unique video game sales data on Bluesky, including lists of games that sold only one physical copy in a period.
– These lists, which include obscure or retro titles, originated from a user question and became popular for their nostalgic and treasure-hunt appeal.
– Circana tracks this data through agreements with major retailers, capturing any product scanned as a sale at a register or online.
– In 2025, over 1,000 different games sold between one and five new physical units in the US, showing such rare sales are more common than expected.
– Piscatella plans to continue creating these threads as long as it remains fun, with no definite end date.
While major blockbuster releases often dominate gaming headlines, a surprising trend reveals a vibrant undercurrent of niche interest. Analyst Mat Piscatella of Circana has been sharing a unique sales chart that spotlights titles selling just a single physical copy over a given period. These lists, born from a user’s question on Bluesky, have captivated audiences by combining nostalgia with the thrill of a treasure hunt, uncovering forgotten games from consoles past.
For instance, one monthly rundown included the Xbox 360 edition of Burnout Paradise and Hasbro Family Game Night 3 for the PS3. Recently, Piscatella expanded the concept with an annual “Sickos” thread, cataloging games that managed only one physical sale across the entire year on various platforms. The data comes from Circana’s comprehensive retail tracking, which captures any product scanned at a point-of-sale system. This means each listed game represents a genuine, solitary transaction, perhaps a copy discovered buried in a stockroom or unearthed from beneath a store display.
The phenomenon is more common than many assume. According to Piscatella’s figures, over 1,000 different games across all platforms sold between one and five new physical units in the US during the tracking period. In total, more than 3,500 distinct games sold at least one new physical copy at retail. This highlights the incredible longevity and hidden inventory within game stores, where obscure titles can linger for years before finding a buyer.
These solitary sales often prompt a mix of amusement and sympathy, imagining the circumstances behind each purchase. While one might pity the lone buyer of a title like Metroid: Other M for the Wii, each transaction represents a personal connection to gaming history. For Piscatella, the project’s appeal lies in this blend of data and storytelling. He plans to continue the threads as long as they remain enjoyable, noting that people seem to relish the journey down memory lane and the mystery of these rare finds still circulating in the wild.
(Source: The Verge)
