Despite a hefty drop of 71% in sales, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for Nintendo Switch repeats this week as the best selling game in the United Kingdom, denying Bethesda’s Prey the honor of entering the charts at the top position. This weak performance from the shooter comes as a bit of a surprise considering the excitement surrounding the release and the good reviews it’s been getting. However, analysts speculate that Bethesda’s policy of sending review copies late has made players be extremely cautious in order to avoid another disappointment similar to Mass Effect: Andromeda.
While no total figures have been made public, we do know that the difference between the sales of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Prey is less of 600 copies, which considering that the list does not count digital sales, could point to Prey actually being the best selling title of the week. In any case, this should have been an easy victory for a long awaited game that according to our own review is the “perfect blend of thrilling action and thought provoking story.”
The fact that reviews have only started coming out after the game hit the stores might have made players be wary of its quality, but after the studio behind the Dishonored series have proven to make an excellent job, many of them will decide against postponing the purchase.
The case of Prey is very similar to the launch situation of the recent Doom and Dishonored 2. Both had weaker than expected launches, especially the latter, but they ended up making up for it with their long term sales.
Beyond the top two positions, the other new release of the week is Telltale Games’ Guardians of the Galaxy, which had to settle for the #31 position even though it coincided with the recent premiere of the latest movie of the series.
Top 10 UK All Formats List
1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
2. Prey
3. Grand Theft Auto V
4. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare
5. LEGO Worlds
6. Rocket League
7. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
8. FIFA 17
9. Horizon Zero Dawn
10. Forza Horizon 3
Top 10 UK Individual Formats List
1. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (NSW)
2. Prey (PS4)
3. Prey (XBO)
4. Grand Theft Auto V (PS4)
5. Horizon Zero Dawn (PS4)
6. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (NSW)
7. Grand Theft Auto V (XBO)
8. Forza Horizon 3 (XBO)
9. Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare (PS4)
10. Rocket League (XBO)
