Blacker than black Friday establishes the hegemony of the reddest (and mustachioed) red: here are the sales figures for video games at the end of November
After no less than two postponed appointments due to as many reviews, we are back on track with the Monday edition of our unmissable sales data for i video games. Our usual litmus test is the United Kingdom, thanks to the census of the British body GfK reported (almost) always promptly by GamesIndustry.biz. As always, we must first make a necessary clarification: since digital sales do not arrive before the weekend, those we will talk about today will only be the numbers of the physical format. After this premise, we can get started!
Mario coat
To triumph on black friday is Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, eternal price tag of our sales figures and gold medal among the best-selling video games. And if you allow us the pun … to lead him to victory were the discounts on the console in conjunction, needless to say, of the black friday. With over two million copies sold in the UK, the Nintendo Switch exclusive title recovered six places following a 567% jump. It should also be said that the game (the console’s best-selling and blockbuster in the context of its own saga) has also benefited from a dedicated bundle.
Raw – Sales figures for video games
No, we are not referring to the incorrect Italian-style shooter, but to the previous champion in the sales data: in sixth place among the best-selling video games, in fact, we have Pokémon Shining Diamond. The 57% drop proved merciless for our recent review subject, but never as merciless as it was for its counterpart. Shining Pearl Pokémon, previously in second place, finds himself suffering a drop of 58%: only one percentage more, which however places him in eleventh position. Combining the sales of both, the two would find themselves in a hypothetical third place.
A black friday to kick (and pick) – Sales figures for video games
As for weeks of the black friday, this one was relatively weaker than the others. Black Friday sales for the physical format in the UK were down 10% compared to the same period in 2020. In other words, therefore, they were sold one hundred thousand fewer games as regards the “classic” market. The silver medal of the week goes to FIFA 22, which enjoyed a 145% increase in sales. Following closely (square) is the Nintendo Switch version of Minecraft, the increase of which was more substantial by 258% (however placing it third).
Flurry of Positions – Sales figures for video games
To keep the fourth place is Call of Duty: Vanguard, whose copies sold are more or less the same as last week (or rather, compared to what was reported last week, as we will explain better later). Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy it climbed twelve places, placing itself in fifth place after a jump forward of 419%. Just Dance 2022 is in seventh place thanks to an increase of 133%. Animal Crossing: New Horizons is in eighth place thanks to a boost of 94%. Far Cry 6finally, it is ninth thanks to a momentum of 49%. All titles, these, which have enjoyed discounts and promotions.
But go hoeing – Sales figures for video games
The big release of last week (or the previous one, because as we anticipated at each appointment we talk about the one just ended) outside of Pokémon was Battlefield 2042. EA’s shooter unceremoniously drops to 12th place following a 58% drop. As for “this” week (or the one that ended yesterday) the important release was Farming Simulator 22, which debuts in thirteenth place. The game has sold the most on PS4, which makes up the largest numbers (37%). Following closely we have the formats Xbox (34%), PS5 (14%) and finally PC (also 14%).
Cosmic Figures – Sales figures for video games
After a seemingly imminent drop out of the top 40, Metroid Dread it climbed back to twenty-third place with an increase of 190%. Meanwhile, other recent releases are doing well overall. Forza Horizon 5 falls to nineteenth place, increasing however by 5% compared to the previous week. Jurassic World Evolution 2, likewise, it collapses to the thirty-fourth position but recovers 10% of sales. Mario Party Superstars, which was also the subject of scrutiny on our part, returns to the top ten as the rear end recovering, however, no less than 105% of sales.
Concluding records
We also close our sales figures for video games this week with the inevitable table. As we have illustrated the discrepancy on the concept of “last week”, we will also be happy to remind you of the key to reading the printout. The top ten of this week (just ended) is in the center, while in the left column you will find the placements of the games in the previous ranking. Have a good consultation!
| Placements from two weeks ago | Top ten positions for the week just ended | Title concerned |
| 7 | 1 | Mario Kart 8 Deluxe |
| 5 | 2 | FIFA 22 |
| 12 | 3 | Minecraft (Nintendo Switch version) |
| 4 | 4 | Call of Duty Vanguard |
| 17 | 5 | Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy |
| 1 | 6 | Pokémon Shining Diamond |
| 10 | 7 | Just Dance 2022 |
| 11 | 8 | Animal Crossing: New Horizons |
| 8 | 9 | Far Cry 6 |
| 13 | 10 | Mario Party Superstars |
Now it’s up to you to tell us yours: what do you think of these results? Let us know below, and as always don’t forget to stay on TechGameWorld.com for all the most important news for gamers and more. For your purely gaming needs, you can instead find the best discounts in digital format on Instant Gaming.