Last week saw a couple of notable new video game releases, and in the UK, they haven’t all performed equally upon their debut. As per data released by the Gfk (shared by GamesIndustry’s Christopher Dring on Twitter), the Nintendo Switch’s Mario vs Donkey Kong remake debuted on top of the charts, with its physical launch sales in the region an impressive 64% higher than what fellow first-party spinoff Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker managed upon its release back in 2018.
A game with a much more massive scope – Ubisoft’s self-proclaimed AAAA megaton Skull and Bones – also finally launched last week after years of delays and development issues. The pirate game has been met with lukewarm reception at best though, which has reflected in its launch performance as well.
Debuting at No. 4 in the UK charts, Skull and Bones sold less than a quarter as many physical units in the region as fellow online pirate game Sea of Thieves did when it released in 2018. It’s worth noting, of course, that the marketshare for physical sales has grown significantly smaller since then, but paired with the less-than-stellar reviews, it certainly paints a gloomy picture for Ubisoft’s latest release.
Meanwhile, Helldivers 2’s momentum has impressed as well. The co-op shooter sits at No. 7 in the charts, and has actually seen a 28% increase in sales from what it managed upon its debut last week, which is a rather rare thing to see in sales charts.
Helldivers 2 is still No.7 in the UK boxed charts. Unusually, sales are up 28% in its second week!
— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) February 20, 2024
