The last two full weeks of September were dominated byNintendo’sSuper Mario 3D All-Starson the UK sales charts, but the week of September 27 to October 3 found the red plumber dethroned by two new releases. Toys for Bob’sCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timewas the top-selling boxed game last week, narrowly beating out EA Motive’sStar Wars: Squadrons.
Crash 4, the Activision-published new entry in a classic platforming series originally created by Naughty Dog for the Sony PlayStation, only beat out the spacefaring dogfight simulator by about 1,000 boxed copies, according to GamesIndustry.biz. However, first-week physical sales forCrash 4were 80 percent lower than2017’sCrash Bandicoot: N. Sane Trilogy, Toys for Bob’s remake of the first three games in the series.
RELATED:12 Biggest New Game Releases of October 2020
The majority ofCrash 4’s sales were on PS4, and the same can be said forStar Wars: Squadrons. GamesIndustry.biz suggests that the relatively low sales numbers forSquadrons, particularly compared to Respawn Entertainment’sStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, may be due to digital sales not being included in this count. Physical sales on the whole have been lower because of the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, andSquadronshas been pushed digitally by marketing like theEpic Games Store offering free X-Wing Gliders inFortnite.
One interesting item of note, according to GamesIndustry.biz, is that the only other new title to break into the Top 40 list of UK’s boxed sales charts is House House’s indie hitUntitled Goose Game.Physical editions ofUntitled Goose Gamereleased September 29, about a week after the developers put out an update adding co-op functionality.
WhileSuper Mario 3D All-Starsis no longer on top of the UK sales charts, it remained at the number three slot with sales only dropping by 23 percent compared to the week prior. Other games listed in the top 10 includeAnimal Crossing: New Horizons,Marvel’s Avengers,Mafia: Definitive Edition, andMinecraft, which just announced its Caves & Cliffs update for 2021at Minecraft Live.
At the end of its report, GamesIndustry.biz predicts thatFIFA 21will top the UK sales charts next week after coming out on October 9. Given the general success of EA’s yearly sports games in the past this would make sense, but whether or not it beats outCrash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timewill have to be seen. The rest of the month will also feature major releases likeWatch Dogs LegionandPikmin 3 Deluxe.
Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Timeis available now on PS4 and Xbox One.
Star Wars: Squadronsis available now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
