EA Sports FC 24 Debuts as UK's Second-Largest Retail Launch of 2023

Electronic Arts' debut football title under its new series has secured the top spot in the UK retail charts. According to data from GfK shared with GamesIndustry.biz, the initial sales of EA Sports FC are 30% lower than those of FIFA 23 during its launch week. The rebranding was anticipated to have a short-term impact on sales, and a potential surge in digital sales could mitigate this gap. Despite the year-over-year decline, EA Sports FC is the second-largest retail launch of 2023, surpassed only by The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and potentially the largest when including digital sales. Most formats exhibited a decline compared to FIFA 23's launch, although Switch sales have seen a slight increase. The rest of the charts are relatively unchanged, with Mortal Kombat dropping to second place after an 83% weekly decline in sales, followed by Hogwarts Legacy, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and Grand Theft Auto 5 in the top five. Retail promotions led to the return of two games to the top ten, with The Witcher 3: Complete Edition at tenth place after a 59% sales rise and Star Wars Jedi: Survivor at eighth place with a 216% boost.