We have our first new No. 1 hit on the UK box chart with Fire Emblem, Nintendo’s turn-based strategy RPG.
The game’s debut sales were 31% lower than its predecessor (2019’s Fire Emblem Three Houses). The new game’s graphics look more anime-esque, which may have limited its Western appeal a little. Even so, however, it remains the series’ second biggest UK launch, ahead of 3DS hit Fire Emblem Awakening.
This means that FIFA 23 dropped to second place after a 21% weekly sales drop, while God of War: Ragnarok dropped to third place with a 26% drop. Mario Kart 8: Deluxe came in fourth with a 3 percent weekly sales increase, while Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 rounded out the top five, dropping two places after a 29 percent decline in sales.
The biggest gainer for the week was The Last of Us Part 1, which returned to No. 20 with a 238% weekly sales jump. The game has been boosted by a new TV series based on the title, available to watch in the UK via Sky Atlantic.
The PS4 version of the game, The Last of Us: Remastered, also re-emerged at No. 32 with a 322% sales surge.
Other big names include Mario + Rabbit Kingdom Battle. The 2017 game ranked No. 12 this week, with a 104% increase in sales. That’s because the game sells for £11 at stores like Argos and Amazon.
“Battlefield 2042” returned to No. 25, with a sales increase of 177%. Again, this is because the title is available for £10 on Argos and Amazon. The Callisto Protocol returns to No. 16 on the list. The horror game, based on the Dead Space series, saw an 83% increase in sales after it dropped the price to £30 at some retailers.
Here are the GfK UK Boxed Top Ten for the week ending 21 January 2023:
last week | this week | title |
---|---|---|
new entry | 1 | Fire Emblem Engagement |
1 | 2 | FIFA 23 |
2 | 3 | god of war ragnarok |
4 | 4 | Mario Kart 8: Deluxe Edition |
6 | 5 | Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 |
6 | 6 | Pokémon Violet |
5 | 7 | Nintendo Switch Sports |
7 | 8 | minecraft (switch) |
8 | 9 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons |
9 | 10 | Pokémon Scarlet |
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