Final Fantasy 16 Secures Fifth Biggest UK Boxed Launch of 2023

Final Fantasy 16 has taken the top spot in the UK boxed charts, marking a comfortable debut at number one. However, its launch is notably smaller than that of Final Fantasy 15 in 2016, with sales plummeting by 74%. This disparity can be attributed to the fact that Final Fantasy 16 is exclusive to the PS5, whereas its predecessor was available on both PS4 and Xbox One. Another factor is the difference in install base between the PS4 in 2016 and the current PS5 install base. The shift towards digital sales since 2016 is also a major contributor to the decline. Once digital data is included, the comparison with Final Fantasy 15 will be less drastic. Final Fantasy 16 is currently the fifth fastest-selling boxed game of the year, following The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, Hogwarts Legacy, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, and the remake of Resident Evil 4. The arrival of Final Fantasy 16 has pushed Zelda down to second place, with sales dropping by 35% week-over-week. Other new entries include Sonic Origins Plus at number three, with the majority of its sales coming from the Switch. Aliens: Dark Descent debuted at number 11, while Crash Team Rumble entered the charts at number 15. In other news, F1 2023 dropped to number five with a 51% decline in sales, Street Fighter 6 fell out of the top ten to number 21 with a 36% sales dip, and Diablo 4 slipped to number eight with a 37% drop in sales. Meanwhile, Forspoken saw a 46% increase in sales, marking its third consecutive week of rising sales.