A little while ago a reader asked why we've not been sharing the UK charts on a weekly basis. The fact is we still check Chart-Track every Monday morning, but there's been little happy news from a Nintendo perspective.
These charts cover physical retail sales, of course - no eShop figures here - and there are some key points to make about the UK scene. It's generally accepted that once you get past the top 5 (or perhaps the top 10 in busy release periods) sales are at a particularly modest level. In the current cross-platform mini-drought numbers may be low in general, typified by the fact that LEGO Jurassic World (largely driven by the Xbox 360 version) is rocking along at number one spot again this week. Consider the all-format top-10, too, to show what a relative rut of new releases we're in.
- LEGO Jurassic World
- Grand Theft Auto V
- Batman: Arkham Knight
- Battlefield Hardline
- Minecraft: Xbox Edition
- FIFA 15
- Minecraft: PlayStation Edition
- Dying Light
- The Elder Scrolls Online
- Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare
It's mainly discounted games and evergreen titles, and the continuing presence of Minecraft week after week (and month after month in the US) makes its absence from Nintendo systems even more galling.
The problem for Nintendo is that it has to battle away largely with single-platform games, too, with only one of the top 10 - LEGO Jurassic World - being available on current-gen Nintendo hardware. As a result, and bearing in mind our comments on believed trends with sales levels, there's been little to tell.
So, what Nintendo games are in the top 40? It's been the same titles for a few weeks, give or take a few brief cameos. Splatoon has consistently been the best performer over the summer, securing 23rd in the all-format chart this week; it generally hovers around the low-to-mid twenties. Super Smash Bros. (both Wii U and 3DS versions) is also a regular, securing 31st place two weeks in a row; interestingly neither single version makes it into the single format chart, but when combined they squeak into the all-format top 40. Finally in the all-format charts Tomodachi Life moves up one position this week, to 39th.
Overall, then, it's been a summer of modest results in the UK. There are, of course, sales on the eShop that aren't included here, but it's nevertheless a reminder of why retail outlets such as GAME continue to reduce or minimise their Nintendo stock.
Devil's Third arrives this week, adding some interest to next week's results, while Super Mario Maker may be able to make a significant impact when it lands on 11th September.
[source chart-track.co.uk]
Comments 19
I thought Lego Jurassic sucked, felt like a real rush job. Arkham Knight & GTA V are the only games on that list I'd rate. Bring on Metal Gear Solid V!
Why do people still buy FIFA 15, the new one is around the corner.
@Daemonite But still i do not get it with those sport games.
Maybe Nintendo might get few more sales if it ever reduced it's ridiculous prices!
Slap "Jurassic World" on anything and it will sell like gangbusters. I don't know why. (It was a pretty average movie imo)
While there's definitely a market for Minecraft on the Wii U (Here in the US at least knockoff Cube World: Island Survival still remains near the front of the eShop's Best Sellers page and is one of the most popular Miiverse communities), the sad reality is that Minecraft just doesn't need Nintendo.
The series is popular enough that the existing console ports are consistently in the Top 10 and it has its own toylines, and there's even an unofficial toyline of popular Minecraft LPers and video makers.
@whodatninja @Daemonite They're kids, not movie critics. Jurassic World is a movie with dinosaurs. Kids love dinosaurs. Kids love LEGOs, too. So they will totally beg their parents for a LEGO game with dinosaurs in it.
Don't forget, we were all young once.
I think Super Mario Maker is Nintendo's next ever green title. It's bound to sell really well.
LEGO Jurassic World over Arkham Knight? Wow, that's odd.
At least Frozen: Olaf's Quest isn't up there anymore.
Devil's Third is not going to make any waves, what with the limited mature audience and the not so impressed first impressions from reviewers.
Best look to Mario Maker.
This is the worst Nintendo showing for a while in the UK charts, pity Nintendo Life picked this week to do an update for us :-/ I know that sales are modest at best but there had been more of a Nintendo presence recently
that Top 10 just about sums up the UK,
FIFA, COD, and a bit of GTA,
that's all we like to play,
@deemdadim Why do people by FIFA in the first place?
@Cyber-BLP-- The stock at GAME is a very bizarre affair they're starting to push out 360 and PS3 games and there are fewer retail games overall but Nintendo's space has been reduced in favour of having more empty boxes of the same games on other formats take up more space.
In addition to the higher prices, the skewed selection and shelf distribution makes GAME seems more and more like a vehicle to specifically advertise/sell the heavily promoted titles of each season to the mainstream and casual buyers at a higher price than Grainger Games. The last time I checked they moved all the Nintendo stuff to one shelf in the corner of my local GAME, with the WiiU side facing away towards a wall of the store and the 3DS side barely having any boxes facing the customers.
It's a shame Nintendo doesn't sale well in the UK.
@Cyber-BLP--: Why exactly doesn't Nintendo sell well in the UK?
@Aromaiden I can answer that. The UK is actually very trend based with even more peer pressure and especially "lad culture".
As a result things that are popular stamp out things that don't meet the norm, niches and anything that doesn't follow trends are far weaker. We're very skewed towards prestige products, brands and personal image that Nintendo who were never prominent in the UK until Wii and DS aren't particularly seen as a good brand and has quite a lot of stigma attached to owning or liking them.
Nintendo's biggest strengths are largely overwhelmed by the stigma attached in the UK that their poor performance is almost expected.
@Daemonite Oh yeah, good point.
@AlanJones84 I'll rather buy amiibo than a $50 rerelease of a game that came out the year before and was boring to begin with.
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