God of War Ragnarok Achieves Record-Breaking Launch in Franchise History

The latest installment in the God of War series, Ragnarok, has seen a remarkably strong start in the UK market, as reported by the chart-tracking firm GfK. It is poised to become the fourth title in the series to reach the top of the UK's boxed game charts. With a total of 12 God of War games released in the UK to date, including six core titles, two portable games, and various collections and remastered versions, the series has a rich history. The inaugural game, released in July 2005 for the PS2, debuted at No.5, marking one of the rare instances where a mainline God of War title did not claim the No.1 spot. In contrast, the second game in the series, which launched in May 2007 for the PS2, achieved the No.1 position. The franchise's transition to the PS3 with God of War 3 in March 2010 also resulted in a chart-topping performance. However, the fourth main installment, God of War Ascension, released in 2013, was narrowly edged out of the No.1 spot by the Tomb Raider reboot from Crystal Dynamics. The 2018 reboot of God of War on the PlayStation 4 marked a significant turning point for the series, with Dorian Bloch, head of GfK, noting that it became the best-selling title in the franchise at the time, both in terms of first-week sales and lifetime sales. In 2018, God of War ranked fifth in terms of units and revenue on Sony platforms, trailing only behind FIFA 19, Red Dead Redemption 2, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4, and Marvel's Spider-Man. With the launch of God of War Ragnarok, the series is poised to reach new heights, with the title expected to become the largest God of War launch in the UK, based on boxed sales alone. According to Bloch, 'God of War Ragnarok will debut at No.1 and is the first cross-gen title in the series. Day 1 physical sales were already greater than any other full-week launch sales for other titles in this franchise.' Bloch further adds that 55% of PS5 console sales for the week are attributed to the God of War hardware bundle, underscoring the title's significant impact on the market.