Last week saw some key Switch titles slump slightly in the UK charts, but fast forward seven days and things are looking a little more encouraging, despite the absence of any new major physical releases.
Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury holds onto the top spot, despite shedding almost 20% of its sales compared to last week. The fact that Super Mario 3D All-Stars is being withdrawn from sale at the end of this month is perhaps a key reason for its rise up to sixth place – last week, it was sitting just outside of the top ten.
Keeping on the topic of Mario, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe rose from sixth to fourth, further cementing its evergreen status (it came out in 2017, lest we forget) while Super Mario Odyssey jumped from 17th to 13th place (again, that's another 2017 release).
Mario's influence was felt in other games, too – Animal Crossing: New Horizons (which appeared to be flagging last week) has rallied somewhat, earning a 40% boost in sales and rising from 7th to 3rd. This could be thanks to the introduction of special Super Mario items in the game.
Elsewhere, Minecraft and Ring Fit Adventure also climbed back up the chart; the former has gone from 10th to 8th while the latter has re-entered the top ten, rising from 14th to 9th. Even Zelda: Breath of the Wild is heading in the right direction – three weeks ago, it was at number 28, but this week it's sitting pretty in 15th place. Not bad for a game that's now four years old.
Sadly, Bravely Default II – one of the biggest Switch exclusives of the year so far – finds itself in 33rd position, dropping from 11th place last week.
Here's a look at this week's top ten all formats chart:
| Last Week | This Week | Title |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury |
| 2 | 2 | Marvel's Spider-Man: Miles Morales |
| 7 | 3 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons |
| 6 | 4 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe |
| 8 | 5 | Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War |
| 13 | 6 | Super Mario 3D All-Stars |
| 9 | 7 | Grand Theft Auto V |
| 10 | 8 | Minecraft (Switch) |
| 14 | 9 | Ring Fit Adventure |
| 12 | 10 | Assassin's Creed Valhalla |
[Compiled by GFK]
[source gamesindustry.biz]
Comments 59
Ehh, probably scalpers getting ready to inflate the price once no longer available in stores.
Scalpers at the start of next month are going to be like:
Scalpers at the ready!
Hold fast!
Steady!
Chaaaarge!
If you still haven't picked up a copy, 365games is still selling it for below MSRP.
https://www.365games.co.uk/nintendo-switch-games/super-mario-3d-all-stars-nintendo-switch-game
It's something that frequently gets mentioned in their marketing emails.
I've been a Nintendo fan fir a very long time. I've defended them time and time again on their baffling decision making, yet the decision to stop selling these Mario products is quite frankly, idiotic and dumb. Nintendo do not deserve sales based on something being pulled from the shelf. This is EA and Activision levels of greed.
1st April: Nintendo announces 3D Mario All Stars collection. It’s exactly the same only they removed references to it being 35th anniversary and is no longer limited edition
I remember when a Nintendo title being at no.1 in the UK charts was a massive deal as it was such a rare occurrence, now it is more notable when it doesn't happen.
What a turnaround by Nintendo with the Switch.
Perhaps they licensed the emulator or parts of it for 1 year and this is why they have to remove it?
Dame you nintendo why would you do this unless there going to bring them out separately then it makes sense, but it would still be a cheap tactic on there part. at the end of the day when we spend money on games it tells them what there doing is working. 'Sigh'
@TheFullAndy,
Yes the success in the U.K is quite a turn around, and nice to see.
As long as people vote yes for this with their wallets, it will continue to happen. Next up will be a limited Zelda compilation, then Metroid etc..
It's so sad seeing that BD2 sells so little in Japan and UK (and probably elsewhere)
@Dethmunk Dude, limited run games is doing it for physical games that would've never seen a physical release, not digital releases. Also they rerelease games for obsolete consoles like gameboy games.
I've never bought from them, might never, but they give new life for things that went out of production which I can respect.
@fox_mattcloud While I'm certainly not a fan of the practice, I'm not sure that greed is the motivation unless we see them reappear in some other form later. The strategy is good for making a lot of sales quickly but if it's gone for good then they'll likely make less money from it long term than they would if they made it a normal release.
@Dethmunk Trust me, I have no love for Limited Run Games and the like. Especially when the final number of physical copies produced is normally so low that unless you pre-ordered, you have no chance of owning the physical game. I don't normally say anything about it because it holds no interest to me. But as pointed out, most games who release via this method would realistically never of had a physical release otherwise due to being small indie productions.
There is also the fact that Nintendo are far from a small company. They have the resources to do a longer run for these games, and even if they did not want to produce the physical cartridge anymore, why remove it from the eShop? Because of an anniversary reference? This isn't like when Nintendo made New Super Luigi U or XC2 Torna: The Golden Country have physical releases for a limited time; you could still buy those after the fact via eShop. The physical release still felt special, and people could still access the content. Both being DLCs are irrelevant.
@Dethmunk Well said.
@Dethmunk Greed because they are relying on the sales with it only being on sale for a limited time. If this was a full retail release with no time limit on it, people wouldn't feel the need to rush out and buy it, other than the loyal fans
Shame about Bravely Default 2 not hitting big numbers but it's not massively surprising. I am looking forward to playing it but my backlog is massive and I haven't picked it up yet. Plus the reviews have been good but also make it clear that it isn't too different to the original and Bravely Second which is a key audience for this game.
@FragRed I think everyone thinks these games will some how remain available digitally. But I’m going to guess no. And here’s the simple reason. If they have a Zelda pack they will want to use the same scare tactics to boost sales. If people realize the games will simply remain available post expiry date then they will not feel rushed to buy. We will see but a lot of people here seem to think they will again be available when there’s a good chance they are gone for good unless they decide to repackaged for the 40th.
In this case scalpers could be helping people who haven't bought 3D All Stars already. After the end of the month if scalpers didn't buy it then no one would be able to buy it unless someone sold their copy. As it is currently on sale they aren't stopping legitimate buyers from picking up a copy in the allotted window. If they bought all copies preventing fans from buying a copy before the deadline then I would be the first to criticise.
Yeah, I'm really not bothered about 3D All Stars going after March 31st.
It's a collection of games most people have played....and then we bought it again. Even I've finished all three games by now and I'm terrible 😂
@FragRed And it will include Galaxy 2 with no upgrade for people with the original.
@sixrings
There is no way in hell Mario 64, Mario Sunshine and Mario Galaxy will cease to exist as available games after the 31st March.
They may not release right away but they will all be available on the eshop in some form.
It is the collection of games with the soundtracks that is limited as it is celebrating a one time event, the 35th Anniversary.
@Savino
There will always be people who cannot afford games at times, there are also people who have no clean water to drink or food to eat.
As you say videogames is way down low on the list of things of importance that people actually need.
The limited collection has been readily available for 6 months so if someone set aside a tenner a month they could buy it. If they cannot afford that I doubt they are worrying about videogames at all.
It really is incredibly idiotic that they're gonna pull the game away once the month is over. Not even sold digitally anymore, what the actual fug???
Nintendo, stop being greedy. Nobody likes you when you're greedy. Leave that job to Wario please. He doesn't run your business.
While all this is happening, I'm over here deciding whether I should buy the very first Fire Emblem game before its death date. I would buy 3D All-Stars, but I have virtually no other reason besides novelty. I already own all three of these games.
@Savino They will still be able to buy it from second hand game stores, you know?
@Savino
Because it is to celebrate a one time event so it is a limited product otherwise it wouldn't mark the occasion. It is that simple.
Nintendo will likely lose out on this themselves as a result because the game collection could have ended up being a 20 million seller over its lifetime.
@Savino That's too bad. There are other games they can buy that are within their budget, it's not a human right to be able to play Super Mario 3D All-Stars. As others have pointed out it's a limited edition to celebrate Mario's 35th Anniversary, just like Mario 35 and it did make the celebrations more memorable for those of us lucky enough to have been able to buy it. Alongside all the other Mario goodness lately. 😃
I doubt they'll release Mario 64 at $35 unless it's a proper remake, but Mario Galaxy and maybe Mario Galaxy 2 would be possible. I wouldn't be surprised if Nintendo doesn't launch an N64 app shortly including Mario 64. I believe dataminers found references to other N64 games in the emulator code.
@Savino
That is what I am assuming they will do so the games will be available in some form after 31st March so it really isn't that big of an issue.
Mario 35 being closed down however.....
Literally the same as the old All star releases or likes of the gamecube zelda collection or the wind waker with ocarina and master quest disk included. Really not new at all these limited runs. Think the reaction is bit over blown.
Only difference now is the digital store exists (used alot more than wii one too) but seems they are still applying same to it (maybe to make sure physical copies don't rot on shelves but sell out completely?). I'd wonder if will return to eshop as separate releases within the year.
More bummed about Mario 35 as its a gem ad there's no way to just buy it and continue past march.
@Yosher It's not actually greedy to not sell something. Having three 3D Mario games for £50 AKA £16.99 each for a long time would cut into sales of budget games like Yooka Laylee or Hat in Time. I think Nintendo would rather you buy Odyssey or 3D World + Bowsers fury if you want to spend £50, and if you want to spend <£20 per game then they want you to buy indies and third party games.
Otherwise you'd basically get the WiiU/3DS situation where the top selling premium games are Nintendo and the top selling budget titles are also all Nintendo. Which is no way to help indies and 3rd parties flourish.
Creative headline work there from Nintendolife - milking those limited edition clicks until the end of the month.
well that it for another bravely game or remaster of the first two
@TheFullAndy which is why I find the tone of the weekly chart articles quite odd. Last week it all sounded a bit end of the world because Nintendo were not utterly dominating the chart and Animal Crossing had slipped.
When things are going so well that it's apparently news when a 1 year old and 4 year old game slip slightly down the top 10 highest selling games in the country, maybe it's time to step back and look at the bigger picture!
Even this week, how is a 20% drop for 3D World even worth a mention?! It's still number one, thinking about it in the wider context there were some very very good deals in the UK on 3D World that ended prior to the start of last week.
@WiltonRoots you know they have the March 31st article done already, to generate another 200 angry comments and whatnot (for something that has been on sale for several months and was always announced as a ltd edition).
@RupeeClock argos is cheaper for 39.99.
It saw it much cheaper too at some places for 36.99
@ukaskew
I have commented before that NL's tone can be strangely negative in the weekly charts despite everything being pretty rosey for Nintendo.
Bravely Default 2 dropping to 33 is actually a pretty decent second week result for a niche game but here it is "sad". Persona 5 Strikers debuted higher last week and has dropped out of the top 40 altogether for comparison.
6 Switch titles in the top 10, great week for Nintendo.
@TheFullAndy
totally agree at times Nintendo life make it sound like the end of the world. it wasn't that long ago you where luck to see one nintendo game in the top 20 let alone the top ten
@suikoden
Exactly! The turnaround has been immense.
@suikoden @TheFullAndy @ukaskew
I thought their opening paragraph last week was fairly ridiculous and OTT:
"It would seem that Animal Crossing: New Horizon's grip on the gaming public is loosening, as the insanely popular title continues its fall down the UK charts"
It was at number 7! 😂
@gortsi Oh completely. Not forgetting the March 30th article. Or the March 21st article. In fact, they could do a daily countdown with a week to go, just to prod that hornet nest that lil bit more.
"10 days to go. Have you picked up Mario 3D Allstars yet?"
@Clyde_Radcliffe
How will NL cope when it drops out of the top 10!
Nice, I'm glad we decided to vote with our wallets. 3d All Stars is awesome, if they want to do that with Zelda, make those all in HD, improve the textures, controls, and make it available on the Switch, with the soundtracks, and a limited time collector's item yeah just take my money. I'm not even a big Zelda fan, but that sounds awesome. Actually if they want to make HD collectors editions versions of their other franchises I'd pick those up as well, the more great games on the Switch, the better.
@TheFullAndy I wish I believed that. I guess I don’t believe Nintendo when they say they are only focusing on the current switch while I do believe Nintendo that this is gone in April.
@sixrings
Companies will not come out and say they are working on the next hardware revision too far ahead of time as it could slow down sales of the current model. The new model is coming, of that I have no doubt, but it will only be announced a month or two before release.
ain't no reason to bitch and complain about this. The 3D collection is sub par and Nintendo pulling off the shelf will only benefit the world. Besides all of the scalpers out there need another Mario game that they can charge outrageous amounts of money for. here in the US scalpers were charging upwords of $300 for the craptastic Mariokart disaster with the RC car. Now there are several stores that reduced the price just to get rid of stock. Walmart sells it for $10off everyday. And the kid behind the counter says his store will not restock once they are gone.
I’m not convinced this game will be that valuable after March 31st. There are so many copies floating around that the price should be stable, same as any other Nintendo Switch first party game.
There are some rumors that a new VC like service is added to the online service where you can get some free games and also paid games. One of that could be SM3DAS and when you already have it you will get a license for it for free. (search for SamusHunter2 on twitter)
@Dethmunk Except when Limited Run copies run out they're not pulling the game out of eShop as well.
@Nintendo_Thumb I would love a Zelda collection like this, but if they're pulling "limited time offer" on it again, I'm keeping my money.
I love how Super Mario 64 is available on, like, 5 different Nintendo consoles while Galaxy 1 is only available on Wii and Wii U and Super Mario Sunshine and Galaxy 2 are each on 1 console.
@Dethmunk holy moley someone actually gets it!!
Wow people are very urgently trying to get a copy of 3D All-Stars before the extinct date? Guess Nintendo's strategy work and they got more money for the end of the fiscal than expected.
This reminds me of the Disney limited time window.
They will bring these back but it will be a long while before they do. Just like Disney dose with their films.
@fox_mattcloud if you knew previous ideas of theres were baffling and idiotic why the hell did you defend them?!
People being biased with their feedback is what lowers the standards of gaming in the first place.
Some of these people if not most will just be regular buyers before the end date, though theres definitely going to be plenty of scalpers.
Look at what happened with the NES mini, the initial launch some ended up spending silly money on what is a very simple single board computer inside a fancy plastic shell, thankfully they made sure there was plenty to go around with the snes mini launch
People have no common sense and buy stuff off scalpers that are being insanely over charged for
Same thing happened when "retro" gaming came hip and cool, now it's expensive to buy old games and old consoles lol
Hey @Damo what's going on with this week's charts?
@Otoemetry We got notification last night that they were delayed. Nothing has come through as yet.
@Damo ah ok, thanks for replying!
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