UK Monthly Charts: Fallout 4 Takes the Lead in April

According to the latest GSD data, Fallout 4 emerged as the top-selling game in the UK for April, with a notable surge in sales. The month saw a relatively quiet release schedule, resulting in 2.23 million games sold in the UK, representing a 7% decline from the previous year. Notably, April 2023 witnessed the launch of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and Dead Island 2, which contributed to the market's performance last year. However, there were no comparable titles released this year. The success of Fallout 4 can be attributed to significant discounts offered on the game, coinciding with the release of the popular Fallout TV series on Amazon last month. In addition to Fallout 4, other titles in the Fallout series also performed well, with Fallout: New Vegas rising to No.8, Fallout 76 securing the No.9 spot, and Fallout 3 narrowly missing the top ten at No.11. This achievement is a testament to the successful capitalization of the increased attention the IP received last month by Bethesda and Microsoft. The top ten charts saw no new entrants, with PlayStation's Stellar Blade debuting at No.12. The action game was only available for purchase for one week when the data was compiled. The charts otherwise followed a familiar pattern, with Helldivers 2 maintaining its strong performance at No.3 and EA Sports FC 24 holding the No.2 spot. The usual suspects, including Call of Duty, GTA, Hogwarts Legacy, and Red Dead Redemption 2, also made appearances. The UK console market continues to struggle in 2024, with hardware sales plummeting 39% in April to 71,000 units sold, according to GfK panel data. All three major platforms have posted declines, with overall console sales down nearly 30% year-to-date. So far this year, Xbox Series console sales have dropped just under 25%, PS5 sales have decreased by over 25%, and Switch sales have declined by 38%. This trend is likely to persist until the release of new hardware or major games that can help stimulate sales. In other news, 530,000 accessories were sold in April, representing a 28% decline from March but a 7% increase from April last year. The DualSense White controller has reclaimed the top spot, replacing the Black controller that dominated in March. Xbox's White wireless controller holds the second position, while the Ear Force Recon 50X Headset for Xbox has jumped two places. The Super Mario SD card for Nintendo Switch has also seen a significant rise in the charts, leaping from No.7 to No.4. The GSD digital data encompasses games from participating companies sold via PC digital stores, Xbox Live, PlayStation Network, and Nintendo Eshop. Major participating companies include Activision Blizzard, Bandai Namco, Capcom, Codemasters, Electronic Arts, Embracer Group, Focus Entertainment, Kepler, Konami, Marvellous Games, Microids, Microsoft, Milestone, Nacon, Paradox Interactive, Quantic Dream, Sega, Sony, Square Enix, Take-Two, Tencent, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros. Notable absentees include Nintendo and 505 Games, as well as smaller studios.