The end of November is generally a lucrative time for video game developers and publishers, as deals related to Black Friday and Cyber Monday draw audiences en masse. Black Friday physical sales in the UK were down 20 percent compared to 2019, in-part due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, but EA Sports' FIFA 21 reigned supreme over Thanksgiving week.
A report from GamesIndustry.biz published today found that FIFA 21 continued to hold the number one spot for UK boxed game sales throughout the week of Cyber Monday; its second in a row holding this record. FIFA 21 dominated sales charts in October for the US and other parts of the world, but briefly dipped in mid-November due to the release of titles like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War alongside Sony and Microsoft's next-generation consoles.
However, GamesIndustry.biz said FIFA 21's overall sales dropped 37 percent from the week prior, and the discounts which likely contributed to the surge in purchases will end soon. The remainder of the boxed sales chart is also comprised of other titles that have held positions for some time, including Black Ops Cold War in second place and Animal Crossing: New Horizons in third. At tenth place is Marvel's Avengers, down from seventh.
One particular game of note in the shared metrics is Ubisoft's Immortals: Fenyx Rising, which came in at number 11 despite releasing on December 3, 2020. According to GamesIndustry.biz, its launch week physical sales were 40 percent lower than Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity, which far outpaced the first Hyrule Warriors in the UK. However, the Zelda spin-off's placement over the week ending in December 5 is not specified.
That being said, digital sales are not included in these metrics, so any and all game placements are subject to change based on their addition. Ubisoft clearly has high hopes for its latest open-world action-adventure game, as Prime Gaming loot is being offered for Immortals: Fenyx Rising this month. Given the impact of coronavirus in places like the UK, digital sales may have a sizable impact in that regard.
FIFA 21 will likely continue to dominate, however, if the track record of prior yearly sports releases are any indication. The game has been involved in its fair share of controversies thus far, for example EA Sports being sued over alleged difficulty spikes, but purchases continue all the same. At this point, time will tell how sales numbers in other parts of the world follow suit.
FIFA 21 is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz