The growth of blockbuster video game franchises such as Fifa and Call of Duty has prompted some supermarkets to carry fewer individual titles.

Figures released by games industry body UKIE last week revealed that a record 51% of 2011 games sales came in the last three months of the year - a period that included the rollout of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, Fifa 12 and Gears of War 3.

In the week of launch, Call of Duty (£28.99 with a £30 spend) was Sainsbury’s biggest-selling item by value - outperforming staples such as milk and bread.

Such titles are now taking the lion’s share of supermarket games sales, say sources. According to Kantar Worldpanel, the top 20 games titles account for 28% of spend in specialist shops but 54% in the supermarkets.

“As with the biggest feature films, supermarkets can maximise sales by stocking top games titles so it is easier for them to carry a smaller range,” said Kantar analyst Fiona Keenan.

This has prompted Tesco to reduce the number of titles it carries. “We have seen a lot of polarisation towards the big games - and the big titles have performed better than ever,” said Tesco media & entertainment director Rob Salter. “As a result, Tesco is buying into fewer titles.”

Morrisons had not made a conscious decision to stock a smaller range, said the retailer’s games buying manager Dr James Jackson, although he added that studios were releasing fewer titles to focus on “guaranteed big-hitters”.

Sainsbury’s, which sells around 400 games in its larger stores, did not comment on whether its range was smaller but insisted it was not just focused on big titles. “We want to appeal to all consumers so are committed to offering a wide range,” said games manager Gurdeep Hunjan.

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