This week’s software sales charts from the United Kingdom show the entry of many new releases. However, a majority of them have had a disappointing launch, with none of them getting even close to dethrone Call of Duty: WWII from the top spot. Activision’s shooter keeps outperforming last year’s Infinite Warfare, and with a very soft drop of only 43% in its second week, it nears the numbers of 2015’s Black Ops III. Furthermore, since GfK’s report is solely based on physical sales, and with the digital market expanding faster than expected, WWII could easily become the biggest Call of Duty of the current console generation.
The first new release to appear on the list is Electronic Art’s Need for Speed Payback, the latest entry in the racing series which features a more cinematic style and heavily focused on its story mode. The game enters at number 4 in the all formats list thanks to its multiplatform release, but in the individual list the highest version is the one for PS4 at number 7, with the one for Xbox One sitting at a low number 13. On physical sales, Payback has only achieved half the sales of 2015’s entry, and even if digital numbers can soften the blow, it’s hard to imagine the company being satisfied with this result.
Sega’s Sonic Forces debuts at number 5 in the all formats list, an illusion provided by the multiplatform release, considering in the individual list the game occupies the 14 (PS4), 15 (Switch), and 19 (XBO) positions. This is not a surprise considering the poor reviews and impressions the game has been getting during the past week.
After Footbal Manager 2018 and Super Lucky’s Tale, the next relevant debut of the list is Nintendo Switch’s version of Doom (number 23 on Individual Formats). The Bethesda shooter has seen as one of the brightest hopes for the future of third party games to suceed in Nintendo’s console, but it seems like the UK fans were not interested, even when the company has made an impressive port of a graphically demanding game. We gave this version a very good review, remarking that “The less capable hardware does force a lot of sacrifices, but fewer than many might have expected.” After EA stated that they would not be releasing any more games on Nintendo Switch for some time, this certainly doesn’t encourage third companies to port their games for the hybrid console.
Top 10 UK All Formats List
1. Call of Duty: WWII
2. FIFA 18
3. Assassin’s Creed Origins
4. Need for Speed Payback
5. Sonic Forces
6. Super Mario Odyssey
7. Forza Motorsport 7
8. Forza Horizon 3
9. Gran Turismo Sport
10. Football Manager 2018
Check out the full top 40 here.
Top 10 UK Individual Formats List
1. Call of Duty: WWII (PS4)
2. Call of Duty: WWII (XBO)
3. FIFA 18 (PS4)
4. Assassin’s Creed Origins (XBO)
5. Super Mario Odyssey (NSW)
6. FIFA 18 (XBO)
7. Need for Speed Payback (PS4)
8. Assassin’s Creed Origins (PS4)
9. Forza Motorsport 7 (XBO)
10. Forza Horizon 3 (XBO)
Check out the full top 40 here.
