Dead Island 2 Tops UK Boxed Charts with Strong Debut

UK boxed video game sales experienced a 6% decline week-over-week, despite the introduction of three new titles. The top-selling new release, Dead Island 2 from Deep Silver, claimed the number one spot on the UK boxed charts, marking the third largest game launch of the year, following Hogwarts Legacy and Resident Evil 4. With sales roughly half that of Resident Evil 4, but surpassing Dead Space, the game's performance in comparison to its predecessor will be determined once digital data is available. Minecraft Legends took second place, with the Nintendo Switch version accounting for 76% of its sales. Notably, digital sales data is not included in these figures, and as Minecraft Legends is part of Xbox Game Pass, its physical sales were primarily driven by Nintendo Switch, with 19% attributed to PlayStation versions and 5% to Xbox. Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp narrowly missed second place, launching on Nintendo Switch after a 15-year hiatus and a delayed release due to global events. The game faced significant market challenges, including its proximity to The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom's release, resulting in modest sales despite positive reviews. Elsewhere, Mario Kart 8: Deluxe dropped to fourth place with a 13% decline in sales, while FIFA 23 fell four places to fifth after a 25% drop. Only two games in the Top 40, Red Dead Redemption 2 and Kirby and the Forgotten Land, saw an increase in sales, partly due to the conclusion of Easter sales. The surge in sales following the Mario movie has begun to subside, with Super Mario Odyssey and New Super Mario Bros U Deluxe experiencing significant declines.