Games Industry’s Christopher Dring has revealed that PlayStation 5 games accounted for nearly 19 percent of all boxed game sales in the United Kingdom last week even though the console has yet to launch in the country.
The PS5 will be out in the UK this week on Thursday, November 19th, but its games and peripherals are available in stores already so it’s understandable that potential buyers have stocked up. However, claiming 19 percent of boxed game sales is still quite a feat, especially considering this year has been a financial disaster for many in light of Covid-19. One thing’s for sure: it doesn’t look like the events of 2020 had much of a negative impact on the video games industry.
Another surprising development in the UK retail charts was Assassin’s Creed Valhalla beating Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War to claim the no. 1 spot. However, Activision just reported the highest launch day digital sales in the series, suggesting that this development is probably down to consumers switching to digital downloads.
Elsewhere, PlayStation-exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales claimed third position, followed by FIFA 21. Animal Crossing: New Horizons rounded up the top five. Bluepoint Games’ widely praised Demon’s Souls remake entered the charts at no. 6.
UK retail’s top ten games for the week ending November 14th are as follows:
- Assassin’s Creed Valhalla
- Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War
- Marvel’s Spider-Man: Miles Morales
- FIFA 21
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Demon’s Souls
- Super Mario 3D All-Stars
- Mario Kart 8: Deluxe
- Minecraft (Switch)
- Watch Dogs: Legion
[Source: Games Industry, Christopher Dring]
