UK Boxed Charts: Black Friday Video Game Sales Experience 15% Decline

According to GfK data, physical video game sales during the Black Friday week have decreased by 15% compared to the same period last year. This decline is consistent with the trend of decreasing software sales over Black Friday in recent years, with a 10% drop recorded the previous year. It's essential to note that these figures do not include digital sales or console sales data, which will be released at a later date. FIFA 23 emerged as the best-selling boxed game of the week, with a significant 95% increase in sales. The game's success can be attributed to its reduced price, inclusion in hardware bundles, and the coinciding World Cup. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has risen to the second position, with a 9% increase in sales, despite lacking a substantial discount. Last week's new releases, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, have slipped down the charts, with Violet now at No.3 and Scarlet at No.6. Both games experienced a 64% decline in sales, which is a typical pattern for Pokémon games. In comparison, last year's Pokémon titles dropped by 58% in their second week, while Pokémon Legends: Arceus fell by 72% after its release in January. The impact of fan disappointment over the game's technical performance on sales is yet to be seen. Mario Kart 8: Deluxe has jumped to No.5, with a remarkable 226% increase in sales, largely due to a similar Black Friday offer that propelled it to the top spot last year. Sonic Frontiers, released just three weeks ago, has also benefited from the Black Friday sales, with a 203% increase in sales, now ranking at No.7. Retail copies of Switch games have performed exceptionally well, with Nintendo Switch Sports, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild experiencing significant sales rises of 138%, 85%, and 426%, respectively. LEGO games have also seen a surge in sales, with LEGO Harry Potter Collection and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga ranking at No.12 and No.13, respectively, due to discounted prices. One of the most notable Black Friday deals was the Xbox Series S console, which was reduced by £60, although its digital-only nature means it had no impact on the physical retail charts. New games have entered the Top 40, including Just Dance 2023 Edition, which has seen a 173% increase in launch sales compared to Just Dance 2022, with 83% of its sales on Nintendo Switch. Meanwhile, Evil West from Focus Home Interactive has debuted at No.21.