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Call of Duty: Ghosts tops UK charts for third week in a row
"I am the Ghosts of Christmas past," said Call of Duty: Ghosts. "Long past?" inquired Scrooge, observant of the game's familiar nature. "Well, no," Call of Duty: Ghosts replied, a bit embarrassed. "I was the UK's best-selling game last week, and the week before that. This is my third week in a row as the UK No. 1." "Oh. I suppose that's marginally interesting... but not much more than that. Do you think that's why the author felt obligated to concoct a mediocre A Christmas Carol pastiche for an otherwise drab UK charts post?" "Probably... prooooobaaaaaablllllyyyyyyyyy... ooooooooohhhhh..." "You're not even a real ghost(s), are you?" "Shut up, Scrooge. You're not even a real duck." It was a Christmas miracle! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, "God bless us, every one!" "Shut up, Tiny Tim," said Call of Duty: Ghosts.
Gran Turismo 6 first week UK sales around five times less than GT5
Gran Turismo 6 is way off the pace of its predecessor, after debuting in the UK with close to five times less sales than Gran Turismo 5. Yes, the presence of two next-gen consoles is no doubt a factor - also GT5 came out on a Wednesday, and GT6 on Friday - but it's still a concerning performance by the PS3 racer, especially considering it had this week to itself, retail-wise. To add insult to injury, it placed eighth in the UK charts this week - behind the nearly three-month-old Grand Theft Auto 5. With Gran Turismo 6 failing to light up the charts, this week's podium is the same as last week's: Battlefield 4 in third, FIFA 14 second, and Call of Duty: Ghosts top for the second week running. There's barely any shuffling to mention either, outside of Killzone: Shadow Fall dropping from fourth to ninth. Instead of dwelling on that, let's close with a gif that harks back to happier times.
PlayStation 4 enjoys most successful launch week in UK history
The PlayStation 4 had the best launch week in the UK of any gaming system to date, and in the words of Chart Track it "eclipsed" the Xbox One's sales from the week before. There's no confirmed numbers, but we know the country's previous fastest-seller is the PSP, and it sold 185,000 units across its debut week in 2005. The long and short: The PS4 done good. British industry site MCV put the PS4's opening week sales at 250,000, according to its retail sources. MCV also pinned the Xbox One's UK numbers at 150,000, but again that figure is unconfirmed. In any case, the good news is both consoles are enjoying successful launches both in the UK and across the globe; Sony announced 1 million PS4 sales within 24 hours of the console's debut in North America, a figure Microsoft also hit when it launched the Xbox One across 13 markets worldwide. As for this week's software charts, there's some predictable shuffling with the console launches. Call of Duty: Ghosts drifted back to the top, after FIFA 14 stole ahead last week with the Xbox One Day One bundles. The rest of the top ten is made up by games available across Xbox One and PS4, with the exception of Grand Theft Auto 5 in seventh, and Batman: Arkham Origins in tenth. The charts don't read so well for the Wii U, though. The system's standout holiday game, Super Mario 3D World, debuted in 14th place, just behind PS4 launch game Knack in 13th.
UK Charts: Xbox One doubles Xbox 360's opening weekend
The UK kicked off its November next-gen madness with the Xbox One last week, ahead of the PS4's launch across Europe this Friday. No surprises, then, that the country's charts are dominated by a flurry of Xbox One launch games, but stifle that yawn because Chart-Track does have a noteworthy statistic to share: According to the data gatherer, the Xbox One sold twice as well as the Xbox 360 across its opening weekend in the UK. Some context: Microsoft shipped around 300,000 Xbox 360s to Europe for the system's launch in December 2005, and it was speculated that meant around 70,000 for the UK. MCV is putting the Xbox One's 48-hour sales figure at 150,000, but that's not confirmed. As usual, Chart-Track didn't provide any hard numbers with its stat, but we do know the Xbox One sold more than 1 million units in its first 24 hours, albeit across 13 markets; the PS4 also hit 1 million-plus on day one, but just in North America. We'll have a clearer picture of who's nudging ahead once the PS4 is out and about in Europe, so let's focus on the all-formats game charts for now: FIFA 14 became the new No. 1, with numbers boosted by 328 percent after being bundled in with Day One consoles in Europe. The rest of the top ten provides some idea of which games Brits chose to pick up with their shiny new Xbox Ones: Call of Duty: Ghosts came in second, followed by Battlefield 4, Assassin's Creed 4, and Forza 5, Lego Marvel Super Heroes and Dead Rising 3. Heading down the charts, Grand Theft Auto 5 is the first previous generation game to appear, sat at eighth. More surprisingly, it's ahead of The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds, which debuted behind it in ninth. If you're wondering where Super Mario 3D World is, so is the UK: The Wii U game doesn't arrive in the country until November 29. Finally, Crytek's Ryse: Son of Rome rounded off a top ten that featured eight Xbox One games.
Call of Duty: Ghosts scares off Lego Marvel Super Heroes in UK charts
Even the combined power of Lego Marvel Super Heroes failed to bust Ghosts, after the latest Call of Duty made it two weeks in a row as the UK's best-seller. Activision released the Xbox One version of Ghosts ahead of the console's launch this week, and it reached 10th in the individual formats charts. Combined with the already charting PS4 version, that's a lot of Brits already ready for some next-gen CoD. While Lego Marvel Super Heroes couldn't soar right to the top, Chart Track says its first week performance is the second best for a Lego game ever. The Lego game that bettered it? Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures. There are two other debutantes in the UK top 40, with PS3 platformer Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus coming in 21st and standalone expansion XCOM: Enemy Unknown a little lower in 25th. Otherwise, as far as the UK charts is concerned it's the calm before the storm. The Xbox One kicks off the next-gen pandemonium on November 22, then the following week it's the PlayStation 4 on November 29.
Call of Duty: Ghosts tops this week's UK charts
There are no frights in the UK's Halloween charts, where Call of Duty: Ghosts is of course the new number one. That said, there is one surprising presence in its retail showing: Behind a 62 percent share of the sales on Xbox 360 and 34 percent on PS3, the PS4 comes in as the game's third best-selling platform at 3 percent - beating the Wii U. Activision released the game's PS4 version ahead of the console's UK launch on November 29, and you'd have to say it's performed well for something that can't even be played yet. It's not all sunshine and lollipops for Activision, as retail sources told MCV that Ghosts' UK launch sales are 50 percent down on last year's Black Ops 2. if MCV's figures are accurate, they're likely to do with the impending next-gen launches. We'll see just how much they account for when the Xbox One and PS4 arrive later this month. As for what's going on beneath Ghosts, former no. 1 Assassin's Creed 4 tumbles to third, while Battlefield 4 holds steady in second. Meanwhile, the relatively early arrival of Professor Layton fails to enchant the top ten, with concluding chapter Azran Legacy debuting in 13th.
Assassin's Creed 4 sails by Battlefield 4 in the UK charts
Pirates trumped modern soldiering in gaming's battle of the fours, at least going by this week's UK charts. A huge retail week saw Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag as leader of the pack, ahead of Battlefield 4, in what data gatherer Chart Track called a "fiercely contested battle." That said, Ubisoft's naval adventure did have three more days on EA's blockbuster shooter, arriving in the country on Tuesday rather than Friday. It's also worth mentioning both games fell short of their preceding three-quels' sales, which is in line with both companies' comments about lower current-gen pre-orders in anticipation of next-gen versions. Of course, we'll know more about that in just a few weeks' time. Lower down the order, former chart-topper Batman: Arkham Origins dropped back to fifth, now sitting behind the consistent Grand Theft Auto 5 and FIFA 14. Talking of consistency, the UK's love affair with Football Manager continues after the 2014 edition arrived in sixth, wrestling ahead of WWE 2K14 in seventh.
Bats in the top of UK chart belfry
Batman: Arkham Origins topples GTA 5 to become the UK No. 1, although it does so with only around half the first week sales of Arkham City. Chart Track says Origins' opening week "almost exactly" matches that of first Arkham game Asylum. Some bat-stats: City shipped 6 million units by the close of 2011, and Asylum 4.3 million at last count. We should note those Origins sales do include the Blackgate Vita game, but no other platforms beyond Xbox 360 and PS3; the Wii U, packaged PC, and 3DS versions are all delayed in the UK until November 8. Holy technicalities, Batman! As for the rest of the charts, it's the kind of week where one big name game shifts all of the top 5 down one place - a bit quiet. However, everything changes next month, starting this coming week. We'll soon see the arrivals of Assassin's Creed 4: Black Flag, Call of Duty: Ghosts, Battlefield 4, Super Mario 3D World, A Link Between Worlds - and those are just the games coming out on consoles already out. In a word, next month is going to be loco.
GTA 5 extends (hit and) run as UK No. 1
Considering we're knee-deep in silly season, it's surprisingly quiet in the UK charts this week. Grand Theft Auto 5 makes it two weeks in a row and three in all as the country's best-seller, despite a 31 percent drop in sales from last week. Meanwhile FIFA 14 holds on to second place, and below those two it's practically an unchanged top ten. Still, there are some nuggets of interest to unearth. The biggest mover and shaker is Skylanders: Swap Force, the third major outing in the ridicu-lucrative toy-based series. While it doesn't move and shake enough to displace the top two, it debuts in third place ahead of Pokemon X, Y and Beyond: Two Souls. UK sales compiler Chart Track offers a couple of interesting stats on Swap Force, the first that it sold 35 percent less than previous entry Giants. As for the second, have a guess which of the game's gajillion platforms earned the most sales. If you said the Wii - with 37 percent for the record - give yourself a pat on the back and at least one sprinkled donut. Move outside the top ten and you immediately find Sonic: Lost World, just missing out in 11th. That's a combination of the significantly different Wii U and 3DS games, and a peek at the individual formats chart shows the console game in 15th and its handheld sibling in 28th. The blue blur's new adventure doesn't roll into North America until next week on October 29.
GTA 5 reclaims rule in UK charts, wild Pokemon X, Y appear in top 4
The battle between Grand Theft Auto 5 and FIFA 14 rages on, with Rockstar reclaiming the UK No. 1 after EA Sports held it for two weeks. It's maybe a bit surprising to see Pokemon X and Y not on top, the duo instead placing in third and fourth in the all-formats chart. If the two Poke-versions were combined they'd almost certainly be Numero Uno, however, since X and Y are first and second in the individual formats chart. Maybe the biggest stat for Nintendo is that the 3DS games' first week sales are around double of Pokemon Black 2 and White 2's debut showing - I'm sure we'll be hearing about very big numbers soon. The other new release in the top ten is Beyond: Two Souls, Quantic Dream's PS3 game charting fifth. As for Dragon's Crown debuting all the way down in 19th, I have to wonder if the game's late European arrival and Sony's region-free policy played their part...
FIFA 14 unbeaten in this week's UK charts
FIFA 14 saw off the challenge from Grand Theft Auto 5 to make it two weeks at the top of the UK charts, with sales taking a 68 percent slide compared to last week. While GTA 5 had a great first week, it likely speaks volumes about FIFA 14 that Rockstar's latest crime sim surpassed GTA 4's lifetime UK sales this week, yet lies in second place. As for new releases, F1 2013 crossed the line ahead of Wind Waker HD to secure a podium finish in third. That said, fourth is a strong enough debut for the Nintendo revamp; it did better than multiplatform new releases NBA 2K14 and Just Dance 2014, coming in seventh and ninth respectively.
Grand Theft Auto 5 already overtaken GTA 4 lifetime sales in UK
In just three weeks of UK sales, Grand Theft Auto 5 has sold more copies than Grand Theft Auto 4 has in nearly five years of lifetime sales. The staggering statistics come courtesy of UK figure-gatherers Chart Track, who report GTA 5 is already the country's 12th biggest-selling game of all time. To reiterate, this stat applies to UK sales. Still, with global sales surpassing $1 billion in the first three days, UK sales at 2.25 million copies in the first week, and now this, Rockstar is probably feeling okay about keeping the game on current-gen platforms (for now).
FIFA 14 tops UK charts despite 24 percent year-on-year drop
There aren't many games capable of dethroning Grand Theft Auto 5 as the UK Number 1, but FIFA 14 is definitely one of them. EA's soccer sim dispossessed GTA 5 as it was always going to do, but Rockstar's second week sales equate to the 18th biggest if ranked against all first week sales; that's despite a 83 percent drop from last week. That gives you an idea of just how big a deal FIFA 14 is, although that's with a 24 percent drop in first week sales compared to last year's FIFA 13. Chart Track wagers the money spent on GTA V last week might be a factor, but we suspect FIFA 14 being a freebie with Xbox One Day One pre-orders in Europe has more to do with it. Other games aren't stupid enough to take on the FIFA behemoth, especially a week after GTA V came out, so the rest of the charts is pretty quiet. Nonetheless, you can check out the top ten after the break.
GTA 5 pockets around 2.25 million sales across first week in UK
Grand Theft Auto 5 is taking out sales records with reckless abandon, and now it's officially the UK's fastest selling game across an opening week. Chart-Track notes the PS3 and Xbox 360 game sold almost 250,000 more copies than Black Ops did in its first week, the Call of Duty game shifting around 2 million. The Super Joystiq Super Calculator (patent pending) tells us that means GTA 5 is somewhere near the 2.25 million mark - wowzers! That's in the UK alone, we stress to underline, where the population is just over 63 million. That's a whole lot of one country people playing a video game. That said, it's not like they're the only ones; GTA 5 sales surpassed a cool $1 billion worldwide at the top of the weekend. If you need more eye-popping stats: GTA 5 is already the 24th biggest-selling game in the UK, its launch week sales outsold those of GTA 4 by a factor of 2.4, and it's sold more in its first week than all the other GTA games did combined. All done? Good, let's move on. Topping the other newsbits from the UK charts is Pro Evo 2014, the soccer sim coming in 2nd in its debut week as it looks to beat FIFA 14 to as much of the punch (kick?) as possible - EA's game comes out this week. The rest of the top ten is kind of oddball: The Last of Us moves up from 25th to 3rd thanks to hardware bundles, while Aliens: Colonial Marines re-enters the top 40 in 9th thanks to a retailer offer. Elsewhere, Harvest Moon: A New Beginning starts up in 22nd. To provide some perspective, four percent of this week's UK sales came from chart entries 2-10. If you'll indulge us on one last GTA 5 stat, Rockstar's game notched 57 percent of this week's sales on Xbox 360, and 43 percent on PS3. It's that kind of week, folks.
Saints Row 4 goes four in a row atop UK Charts
Saints Row 4 knows how to make the party last in the UK, holding the top spot on the charts for a month now. Only one new release broke the top ten last week, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix, debuting in the number two spot. We won't even discuss what Farming Simulator 2013 is doing at number 23, while Puppeteer debuts at 40. And, just beyond the horizon, we see Grand Theft Auto 5 driving up, ready to thank Saints Row 4 for keeping its throne warm. Don't worry, Saints Row 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts will be extending the same courtesy to GTA 5 come November 5. Seek out the UK top ten after the break.
Total War: Rome 2 fails to conquer Saints Row 4 in UK charts
These are the days of the Saints Row empire. Despite a brave attempt by Total War: Rome 2, all roads still lead to Saints Row 4 in the UK charts, where Volition's game is now into its third week as Numero Uno. Not that it was a bad launch for Rome 2; the strategy sequel upped the previous Rome game's first week sales by 4,000 copies, and it managed to pip the console versions of Diablo 3 to second place. Get tu, Rome 2! Okay, we're out of Roman references. Lower down the order, we find two new releases in Vita game Killzone: Mercenary, which docks in eighth, and - oo-arrrr! - Farming Simulator 2013, which crops up in tenth. That unusual combination pushes Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn just out of the top ten, the PS3 and PC MMO coming in 11th. Finally, if we peer right down the top 40 we just about find Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate - in 35th. At least Tecmo Koei can reflect on the updated fighter's debut in the knowledge the original shipped 580,000 units worldwide in its first month. Oh, and get this: FIFA 13 isn't in the top ten! It's the first time in recorded history (or close enough) that FIFA 13 has been sighted as low as (gasp!) 14th. Truly, this is the silly season.
Saints Row 4 marches on in UK charts, A Realm Reborn berths in third
Saints Row 4 maintains its reign in the UK plains for another week, seeing off a number of new releases including Square Enix phoenix (down) A Realm Reborn. The resurrection of MMO Final Fantasy 14 debuts in third, just behind Splinter Cell: Blacklist. Outside the top ten, Massive Shock: a Grasshopper game is struggling to sell! Games by the Japanese studio are rarely big sellers - Lollipop Chainsaw did ship 700,000 - but there'll surely be disappointment at Killer is Dead charting 28th in its first week. Maybe not as much as there'll be over at Capcom, though: Lost Planet 3 lands two places higher in 26. Murkier to judge is Rayman Legends in sixth. Topping the first week sales of predecessor Origins by 20 percent is all well and good, but Origins wasn't exactly a commercial hit. It only sold 50,000 copies across its first month in the US, after all. Still, Legends is the second highest new release this week, pipping Madden 25 which touches down in seventh.
Saints Row 4 lines up top spot in this week's UK charts
Lock the doors, turn off the lights, and grab the nearest frying pan: the silly season is upon us. The games industry's annual binge on blockbuster starts this week with Saints Row 4 grabbing the UK No. 1; fellow new releases Splinter Cell: Blacklist and Disney Infinity place second and third, respectively. The challenge will be to hold the top spot next week, when Rayman Legends and the console versions of Diablo 3 ride into town. After that there are the likes of FIFA 14, PES 2014, Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix... oh and that Grand Theft Auto thing... arghhhhh, too many games, they're everywhere, save yourselves! Ahem. Saints Row 4 is fittingly the UK's fourth biggest launch of the year - first, second, and third are The Last of Us, BioShock Infinite, and Tomb Raider - and while its first week performance falls behind that of Saints Row: The Third, it is the bombastic series' second biggest. Talking of numbers, Disney Infinity is proving most popular on Xbox 360, which grabs 43 percent of the sales. PS3 comes in at 22 percent, while the Wii beats the Wii U with 21 percent to its successor's 10. Lower down the charts, 2K Games might be a little disappointed to see The Bureau: XCOM Declassified only debut in tenth spot, while Platinum's The Wonderful 101 flies in at just 22nd. To provide some silly season perspective, last week's number 1, Payday 2, makes an almighty drop this week to 18th.
Payday 2 yoinks top spot in this week's UK charts
Witnesses report the nefarious Payday 2 was sighted in a hit-and-run in the UK charts. It's believed Overkill's crime-it-up stole the prized top spot from Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition, where Mojang's crafter had been safely stowed for three weeks straight. The police had nothing to say on the matter, and told us to stop calling them. In other chart–crime news, is that Grand Theft Auto 4 we see sneaking into tenth place? With GTA 5 around the corner on September 17 and all the hubbub of last week, Brits seem very keen to reunite with their own in Scottish-based GTA studio Rockstar North. Elsewhere, chart mainstays like FIFA 13, Black Ops 2, The Last of Us, and Tomb Raider - it's still going, Square Enix! - continue to hang tough.
Minecraft XBLA passes 8M sales, 360 Edition tops UK charts again
Mojang's Minecraft is now up to 8 million combined sales on Xbox 360, the game's retail arrival clearly building on the XBLA version's success. Just looks at this week's UK charts, where the Xbox 360 Edition is the fourth game this year to be Numero Uno for three weeks running; the other three are The Last of Us, Dead Island: Riptide, and BioShock Infinite. The feat comes as the Xbox 360 version prepares for Title Update 12, its full changelog now posted up on PlayXBLA. Among the various additions from the PC version are the ocelots, which freak creepers into running away, and the jungle biomes in which they spawn. Silly season is very nearly upon us, but it's not quite time to duck behind the bushes and watch the chaos ensue. As such, it's another slow week at the UK Charts office - you only need to see FIFA 13 and The Smurfs 2 in second and third respectively to know that. Among all the quiet, there's an encouraging debut for Tales of Xillia. Namco's JRPG xoars to the heights of fourth spot, a bit of a surprise given the series' previous track record in the UK - to compare, a year ago Tales of Graces F debuted in 14th.
