Nailed Down
It was another fine week for Ratchet, Clank, and new gal Rivet. Insomniac Games’ excellent PS5 adventure Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart retained the number one in the UK Charts, having achieved even higher sales in its second week of release than it did during launch week. While only a 2% sales increase, it’s still an incredibly rare occurrence, especially in the digital-friendly modern gaming age.
Another surprise sales rise came in the form of Mojang’s Minecraft Dungeons, which skyrocketed up the charts to number two after UK electronics retailer Curry’s put a stock clearance price of just £13 on the Switch edition, which led to a huge rush of purchases for the blocky dungeon crawler. It’s a sign of the archaic nature of the physical sales charts when a single retailer can reduce the price of a single video game and have it shoot straight into the premier league, overtaking brand-new releases.
Elsewhere in the Top Ten, it’s business as usual. Nintendo dominates the listings with Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Minecraft, and a returning Super Mario 3D + Bowser’s Fury. Take-Two’s Grand Theft Auto V also returned to the Top Ten following a brief absence, while the PS5 and Xbox Series X rerelease of Metro Exodus: Complete Edition debuted at number 17. Square Enix’ Final Fantasy VII: Remake Intergrade and Arc System Works’ Guilty Gear Strive have both left the Top 40 entirely. Will Rift Apart see a third week on top of the UK Charts? Stick around.
U.K. video game sales chart w/e: June 19, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)
1. Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart – Sony Interactive Entertainment
2. Minecraft Dungeons – Xbox Game Studios
3. FIFA 21 – Electronic Arts
4. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Nintendo
5. Resident Evil Village – Capcom
6. Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo
7. Spider-Man: Miles Morales – Sony Interactive Entertainment
8. Minecraft – Nintendo
9. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – Nintendo
10. Grand Theft Auto V – Take-Two Interactive
U.K. Video Game Charts [GamesIndustry.biz]
