UK Charts: FIFA 23 Takes First Place Ahead Of Switch FC 24 Debut

Is it so high because of the World Cup?

I haven't played a futball game since FIFA Street. I wonder if EA FC 24 will be the soccer game for me?

who the F doesn't own MK8 Deluxe by now?!?!?

Isn't Fifa 23 still made by EA?

Game was on sale for Amazon Prime Day for a significant discount (less than £15 on current-gen), and sells on every platform, that’s why it’s so high this week.

@Smug43 People who weren't even born when MK8 originally released

@Smug43 small carts for kids to lose and then ask for another.

I prefer other games like Go Vacation, Yonder the Cloud Catcher Chronicles, etc on Top 40.

@Angelic_Lapras_King I just bought my 2nd copy. Because of kids at my house who lost the cart when switching discs.

It is always the go to game when lots of kids are over.

30% on Switch? Fifa?

That's actually pretty good.

@acNewUpdates The new season starts in a couple of weeks.

@Smug43 MK8D is a good indication of how many Switchs have been sold. The general consumer far and away outnumbers 'gamers', it just gamers account for very rapid (and large) first few weeks sales. But there are new generations of kids every year. (And if you were being sarcastic, then sorry.)

The more I look at it this is a wild list, Battlefield 2042 at 5th, FNAF Security Breach in top 20, and Gollum at 36 are a trio of games I’d NEVER expect to see this high up on a sales chart again. Gollum especially, what kind of sale would that have to go on for more people to buy it this week then Resident Evil 4?!

Every day kids are growing up and getting into gaming. It’s an endless supply of potential buyers.

In 2022 apparently MK8D boxed sold 426,728 copies. https://www.statista.com/statistics/274072/most-popular-games-in-the-united-kingdom-uk-by-unit-sales/

In 2021, 694,685 new babies were born in the UK, so I think it’s safe to say well over half a million kids have come into this world in the UK every year over the last few decades. That means there’s a lot of new brains awakening to some form of entertainment every year.
I think it’s also safe to say Ninty does amazingly well at reaching a high percentage of those fresh brains.

@GrailUK also - seeing how the switch is still dominating in hardware sales is telling how MK8 continues to sell. You buy a switch. what's your first game?

MK8
Odyssey
Smash Bros

one of those generally.

@8BitMonet Yes. FIFA 23 isn't a new game, it came out last year - the number in the title is always one year ahead. As others have said, the reason for the sudden sales is probably due to the fact its been on sale a lot, partly to coincide with the current tournaments, but also to clear old stock before the new game drops, and being bundles with Prime Day console deals.

I have no doubt that FIFA 24, if it even comes out, will be an absolute train wreck. It will probably still sell ok due to casuals not knowing its not the real deal. EA's FC 24 however looks like the first soccer title I might actually pick up for Switch...

@eltomo

The last few years Fifa on Switch has been doing really well, many weeks outselling the other versions.

So it is great to see EA finally giving Switch owners a proper version with whatever the new game is called. Bodes well as well for EA support on Switch 2.

(Regardless of what people think of EA it is good for Nintendo platforms to have their support).

Weird seeing a year old kick the ball simulator topping the charts.

@samuelvictor
EAFC 24 is FIFA 24 with a name change.

@westman98 Well, yes, but also no.

FIFA as a governing body have made clear they want to release their own games without EA. So there likely will be a game called "FIFA 24", made in a hurry by whichever team offers to do it the cheapest for them. I'm sure it won't be great, but it will still be called "FIFA 24" and therefore confuse a lot of casuals / parents.

Assuming you knew that and your sentiment was just that EAFC 24 is the "real" FIFA 24, of course I agree with you. But it doesn't help the dev team if we don't adopt the new name.

@SBandy1 yeah it's been well overdue that the Switch gets an actual new game and not another Legacy Edition. Those were usually reserved for older consoles where the sales weren't as high, very weird that they went for that on Switch as soon as they released the first FIFA.

@samuelvictor The next FIFA game is probably a few years away, it would take time for them to find a new licensee, then they'd have to start development from scratch. Next year at the earliest I'd assume. Unless FIFA goes with Konami and we get eFIFA this year? Because nobody else is making soccer games right now. That would be funny if PES becomes FIFA.

@Orpheus79V I hope you're right. But logic says if they take a few years to find a good developer and start from scratch to build something decent, everyone will be aware of the fact that EA's "FIFA" changed its name by the time it comes out, and the brand will have lost its power as a videogames franchise.

They must be very aware of the fact that the only way to keep people buying the games because of the brand, and have a chance of going against EA is to release a game called FIFA 24 within the right window to confuse enough people and divert sales. Obviously Konami would be the best candidates right now but I'm sure there's plenty of small indie studios who make sports games that will happily agree to bash something out quickly, or licenese them a game they've already made and just rebadge it and change the names/logos. Hell, I've got a motion capture setup and I can use Unreal Engine, if they chuck me half a million I'll make a passable game single handedly in 6 months for half a mill. Bargain. It'll be rubbish, but we'll sell a tonne.

I know its a different world but that famously happened multiple times in the past where companies bough the rights to specific events like world cups or euro tournaments for a specific year, and then for whatever reason didn't manage to get their game finished in time, so they just bought the rights to a previous game and rebadged it, to not miss out on the sales.

The fact FIFA will 100% lose this battle if they don't release something quickly means it will either be a very rushed game, or a rebadged older title - either way it won't complete with EA who know they have to pull out all the stops and make a spectacular game this time round. Thats why I said "FIFA 24" will be rubbish.

Again, I hope you're right and they take time to actually develop something awesome from teh ground up. Competition is always good, like the old days of FIFA vs ISS / Pr Evo and the multitude of other upstart competitors every year in the 16bit and 32bit days. In order to sell the most, you genuinely had to be the best... til EA cornered the market seemingly permanently. I'd love it if in 2-3 years time we got a genuinely ground breaking wonder game from FIFA. But by doing that, they are leaving millions in easy quick sales on the table, risking millions developing it, and this coming from a company with no experience in devloping games and probably no concept of what actually makes a good game other than their liscensed logos and names. I don't see it happening unless they get an outside offer from someone major like perhaps Sony or Microsoft themselves hoping to get a console exclusive & willing to take the hit.

Wow I'm surprise Final Fantasy XVI isn't even in the top 10. Same for Street Fighter 6, Resident Evil 4 remake, and Diablo IV, these are suppose to be 2023 hottest games but their sales figures make em look like flops on here.

@anti-matter good to know

If EA actually releases FC23 and its a real non legacy version I'll put my money where my mouth is and I'll buy it. I love soccer games but the legacy editions sucked.

@Smug43 Me

@Serpenterror

Those games likely have been far more successful digitally (Diablo 4 in particular) and regardless a games quality is not always reflected in its sales figures.

Christopher Dring who has access to the figures in UK said this:

"Across Diablo 4, Final Fantasy 16, Street Fighter 6 and F1 2023.... just one in five of these games were bought at physical retail in the UK during June. Over 80% of sales for these new games were via digital downloads."

"As of December 31, 2022, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe has sold over 53 million units, making it one of the best-selling games of all time."

THE F?!?!? WOW!!

@5th313ment it is a real non legacy version in frostbite engine. We just have to see how great it runs.