Last week was big for video game retailers in the UK. CD Projekt Red's open-world RPG Cyberpunk 2077 saw the UK's second-biggest retail launch of 2020, only behind EA's annual sports title FIFA 21. However, it quickly fell in the rankings, and Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed Valhalla took the top physical sales position for the week leading up to Christmas.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla sales increased 66 percent for the week ending on December 19, according to GamesIndustry.biz, in-part due to discounts ahead of the holiday season. Ubisoft has also discounted games like Immortals Fenyx Rising at Best Buy in the last week, and that practice served the studio well. This was the third time in the last 15 years that a non-FIFA or Call of Duty game topped the boxed charts in this period, joining 2011's The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim and 2018's Red Dead Redemption 2.
Activision's Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War did snag the number two spot for the week ending on December 19, followed by Cyberpunk 2077, FIFA 21, and Animal Crossing: New Horizons. While the numbers only reflect physical sales, which likely pale in comparison to digital given ongoing lockdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic, it is an impressive feat given Assassin's Creed Valhalla also topped Black Ops Cold War during the launch of Sony and Microsoft's next-gen consoles.
GamesIndustry.biz highlights another interesting return to the top-ten list, with the Nintendo Switch accessory game Ring Fit Adventure climbing from number 16 to number 9 in the rankings after a 155 percent sales increase ahead of Christmas. Ring Fit Adventure has been a somewhat surprising hit for the hybrid console, with the exercise-focused game outselling blockbuster titles like Marvel's Avengers in Japan and often being found out of stock in retailers worldwide.
The general decline of Cyberpunk 2077 last week is less surprising. CD Projekt Red's latest game decreased in sales 80 percent week-over-week, which GamesIndustry.biz suggests is comparable to other games like The Last of Us 2 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla post-launch. However, Cyberpunk 2077 has seen multiple controversies regarding bugs and poor protections for epileptic players, leading to Sony removing the game from the PlayStation Store. Various groups have also offered full refunds for the game.
While Ubisoft claimed the UK's top physical sales spot leading into Christmas week, it should be interesting to see how things shake out for the rest of the year. Assassin's Creed Valhalla has released a roadmap for future content expansions, so its likely the game will appear again down the line.
Assassin's Creed Valhalla is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Stadia, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz