Christopher Dring

Xbox will apparently release the “majority” of its tentpole first-party titles on PS5 in the future, as its multiformat strategy gathers pace. Earlier in the year, the Redmond firm broadcast a strategic business meeting, where it announced four console exclusive titles – including Hi-Fi Rush and Sea of Thieves – would launch on Sony’s format. While it stopped short of confirming other rumoured releases, it insinuated this was simply the start of a new philosophy for the firm.

It sounds like Dragon's Dogma 2 and Rise of the Ronin — both released on Friday of last week — have struggled to make an immediate impact in the UK. While we don't have the full sales charts just yet, GamesIndustry.biz's ever-knowledgeable Christopher Dring has outlined the relative success of the new releases, and it's fair to say that neither game has done well. At least, not at retail.

There have been two big stories on the ground at GDC this year: Xbox’s flatlining brand and the purpose of the PS5 Pro. Speaking as part of a podcast, GamesIndustry.biz’s well-connected reporter Christopher Dring noted that he didn’t meet a “single person” at the show that understood the point of Sony’s mid-gen upgrade, which is rumoured to release later this year.

The wait for Dragon’s Dogma 2 stretched on for well over a decade, and launching on the back off massive amounts of hype and excitement, the open world action RPG has got off to an impressive start, in spite of early backlash against its monetization and performance woes. Not only has the game enjoyed widespread acclaim, it’s also seen solid sales right out the gate.

Recently on the GI Microcast, GamesIndustry.biz founder Christopher Dring discussed falling sales for Xbox in Europe and how the “majority” of its titles would come to PlayStation 5 at some point. During GDC 2024, he also spoke to different developers about the rumored PS5 Pro, whose specs recently leaked. The verdict? “I didn’t meet a single person that understood the point of it.”

The full line-up for the London Developer Conference has been revealed.

The PlayStation 5 Pro has no reason for happening, as some developers feel they still have to make the most of the base model.

When Microsoft revealed its new strategy of bringing titles like Grounded, Sea of Thieves, Hi-Fi Rush and Pentiment to other platforms, there was discussion on those that weren’t included. Starfield andIndiana Jones and the Great Circle were some of the most hotly rumored. Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said the industry shouldn’t rule out any titles on other platforms, but they seem unlikely.

Many more Xbox games are planned to go multi-platform, according to a new report that emerged from the Game Developers Conference (GDC) 2024. Microsoft's ongoing multi-platform push is understood to be coinciding with some third-party publishers losing faith in the Xbox ecosystem.

While Microsoft has tried to put a happy face on things, the future of Xbox – at least Xbox as a distinct brand with its own hardware and exclusives – has never been more in question. Last month Microsoft tried to calm worries with an Xbox Business Update, in which they revealed several older, smaller-scale games were going multiplatform, but that others, like Starfield, aren’t for now. Furthermore, they vowed to continue working on new hardware which will, apparently, deliver the “largest technical leap ever” (how they plan to deliver on that boast, I don’t know).

Last week was packed with a number of notable new video game releases, though as per the latest weekly physical sales data released by the Gfk for the UK (shared by GamesIndustry’s Christopher Dring on Twitter), none of the new releases were actually the region’s best-selling game last week. EA Sports FC 24 took the No. 1 spot, with Dragon’s Dogma 2 coming in at second place.

Last week was another busy one with more major new releases hitting store shelves, a couple of which have found their way into the latest weekly charts for physical software sales in the UK. As shared by GamesIndustry’s Christopher Dring on Twitter, WWE 2K24 had a strong debut, taking the top spot in its first week on sale, with physical launch sales in the UK being 26 percent higher than what its predecessor managed in the region upon its release last year.

The success of Helldivers 2 continues unabated. Even yesterday, the third-person cooperative sci-fi shooter game nearly reached its historical peak of 450K concurrent online users on Steam. The user reception on Valve's store has meaningfully improved compared to launch, too, leaping from the original 67% 'Mixed' review rating to the current 81% 'Very Positive' review rating.

Early signs suggest that Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth will struggle to match Final Fantasy 7 Remake in terms of commercial success. Although admittedly, we don't have much data to work with right now. According to Games Industry's Christopher Dring, who often outlines key sales info, the recently released sequel is down 30% on its predecessor's launch week figures. It did still manage to top the UK charts, mind.

Launched on February 29th worldwide, Square Enix’s Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth for PS5 received extensive praise from critics. Unfortunately, physical sales in the UK are down almost 30 percent compared to the launch of Final Fantasy 7 Remake per Gfk data shared by Games Industry head Christopher Dring on Twitter.

Helldivers 2 has been bucking sales trends in the UK physical game charts by continuing each week to sell more copies than in the week before.

Last week’s UK physical charts from Gfk saw Mario vs. Donkey Kong take the top spot while Skull and Bones disappointed (despite debuting in fourth). GamesIndustry head Christopher Dring reported on Twitter that the former dropped to third due to a 62 percent sales decrease while the latter fell to 16th due to a 68 percent drop. However, there’s the curious case of Helldivers 2.

Despite the hiccups the game has faced in the past few weeks, Helldivers 2 seems to be on a roll as it has achieved yet another rare sales accomplishment, this time in the United Kingdom's physical charts. Considering the top positions in the chart are usually dominated by highly anticipated AAA releases,Helldivers 2 making it there itself is quite a significant milestone.

Last week saw a couple of notable new video game releases, and in the UK, they haven’t all performed equally upon their debut. As per data released by the Gfk (shared by GamesIndustry’s Christopher Dring on Twitter), the Nintendo Switch’s Mario vs Donkey Kong remake debuted on top of the charts, with its physical launch sales in the region an impressive 64% higher than what fellow first-party spinoff Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker managed upon its release back in 2018.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League has been quite divisive thus far, with lots of discussion online about the pros and cons of this anti-hero looter shooter. However, it appears to be doing just fine when it comes to sales; in the UK, the game has arrived at number one on the physical retail chart, selling over 80 per cent of those copies on PS5.

Bandai Namco’s fighting sequel, Tekken 8, has debuted at the top of this week’s UK boxed charts.

Tekken 8 launched last week on the back of plenty of excitement and widespread critical acclaim, and the fighter’s sales seem to be reflecting its critical success. In the UK, at least, the game has got off to a remarkably better start than another recent major fighting release.

Naughty Dog has received plenty of criticism of late for the renewed emphasis it’s placed on re-releases, but clearly, those re-releases are paying off for it and Sony. The Last of Us Part 2 Remastered launched last week, and it seems to have got off to a solid start where its sales are concerned, having debuted at No. 3 in the weekly UK physical sales charts.

Nintendo has often shown a willingness to work with external, independent developers to work on its properties, and even the last few years have seen plenty of instances of that, from Grezzo working on The Legend of Zelda to WayForward on Advance Wars to MercurySteam on Metroid and more, and it looks like the company is looking to expand those efforts in the future.

As we continue to go through 2024 without more clear knowledge about the Nintendo Switch successor, rumors and beliefs about what the system could be continue to pile up. There have been rumors about the consoles’ hardware and what it would be like to play it. Then, there have been rumors of the software it’s getting, from key 3rd party arrivals to remakes of beloved cult classics. It’s stacking up, and gamers don’t know what to believe. Finally, people in places like Gameindustry.biz have made opinion pieces about what they feel the console needs to do to be successful.

While it didn’t reach the top spot in Gfk’s UK physical sales charts for the week ending December 23rd, Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder still performed very well. It ranked second, overcoming Hogwarts Legacy (which dropped to third).

PS5 sales have surpassed 50 million units globally, Sony has today announced.

Hogwarts Legacy was one of the more popular games with fans this year. Fans waited a good while for Avalanche Software to turn this game out into the marketplace. However, the initial launch was not what fans had hoped for. Rather than being available across all the supported platforms simultaneously, it was pushed back into three different waves. We saw the game’s first wave land into the marketplace for the PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S platforms. Meanwhile, several months later, the game managed to be released on the last generation’s Xbox One and PlayStation 4 platforms. Then, this month, we saw Hogwarts Legacy land on the Nintendo Switch console. 

Hogwarts Legacy has become one of the biggest games of 2023 and it's thanks in part to the recently released Nintendo Switch version.

The Gfk has released (via GamesIndustry) the latest weekly physical sales data for the United Kingdom, as per which Hogwarts Legacy was the best-selling game in the region last week, thanks to a combination of the launch of its Nintendo Switch version and Black Friday discounts. In fact, as per GamesIndustry’s Christopher Dring, the open world RPG has enjoyed the 2023’s third-biggest physical launch for a Switch title in the UK, behind only The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom and Super Mario Bros. Wonder. 

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Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has topped the UK physical game charts, but it’s failed to hit the launch weekend sales numbers that its predecessor did.

Physical launch sales of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3 in the UK are vastly lower compared to last year's Modern Warfare 2.

Activision’s Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 launched worldwide before the weekend amid the backlash against the campaign. Whether that impacted its sales performance, its physical launch sales in the UK are 25 percent lower than Modern Warfare 2 (2022), as per Gfk.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder has enjoyed widespread praise from critics and audiences since its release, and as you’d expect from a Mario game, it’s also enjoying commercial success to match. The game debuted strongly in the UK’s weekly retail charts upon its release, while last week, it climbed into the charts’ top spot. This week, as noted by GamesIndustry’s Christopher Dring on social media platform X, the game has held on to the top spot (though its physical sales are apparently still “quite low”.).

Gfk’s weekly physical sales data for the United Kingdom isn’t in yet, but there have been some notable shifts. According to Games Industry’s Christopher Dring on Twitter, Super Mario Bros. Wonder is now in the top spot, despite sales dropping by 55 percent.

Super Mario Bros. Wonder is the fastest-selling Super Mario game ever in Europe, Nintendo has claimed.

As one of the most anticipated games of the year, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is expected to perform well in sales. According to Christopher Dring of Games Industry, it debuted “comfortably” at the top on this week’s UK physical charts and is the fourth biggest boxed launch in the region this year.

While Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 topped the UK physical charts for the week, Nintendo’s Super Mario Bros. Wonder still performed well. It debuted second in the region and is already the fifth biggest physical launch of the year, right behind the superhero title, per Chris Dring of Games Industry on Twitter.

Despite being released just three days ago, Marvel's Spider-Man 2 has already managed to become the fourth-highest physical release in the UK.

Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 has come out on top in this week’s UK physical game charts.

Team17 is reportedly planning “significant” job losses as part of a company restructure.

EA’s yearly football franchise may have changed its name from FIFA to EA Sports FC this year, though as expected, it has had little impact on the game’s sales. As per data for weekly physical sales in the UK released by the Gfk (shared by GamesIndustry’s Christopher Dring on Twitter), EA Sports FC 24 is the UK’s second-biggest physical launch of the year, behind only The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and ahead of Hogwarts Legacy.

Epic Games is reportedly laying off around 16% of its workforce.

Gfk’s top ten for the best-selling physical titles in the UK for the week ending September 23rd is now available. As reported by Games Industry’s Christopher Dring on Twitter, Mortal Kombat 1 debuted on top, while NEOWIZ’s Lies of P took third place. The former saw the most sales on PS5, with Xbox Series X/S in second and Nintendo Switch last.

Mortal Kombat 1 was the biggest new release of last week, and to no one’s surprise, it seems that the game has got off to a strong start where its sales are concerned. As per Gfk data for weekly physical software sales in the UK, shared by GamesIndustry’s Christopher Dring on Twitter, Mortal Kombat 1 debuted on top of the charts. Its physical launch sales are down 38% from what Mortal Kombat 11 managed upon its launch in 2019, but physical sales trending downward is no surprise for any game at this point.

The Gfk has released the latest data for weekly physical software sales in the UK (via GamesIndustry), and the biggest new release of last week, The Crew Motorfest, has seen a decent debut. The open world racer sits in second place, which is the same position The Crew 2 debuted in when it launched in 2018. Its physical launch sales, however, are about a third of the 2018 game, as per GI.biz’s Christopher Dring on Twitter– though it’s worth keeping in mind that its digital share is likely to be much higher. 

PS5 sales in Europe last month have increased almost 200% compared to August 2022.

The Starfield (pre)launch has significantly boosted Xbox Series X|S sales in the UK, based on Gfk data.

PS5 sales in the UK have jumped 60% year-to-date while sales of both Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch are down compared to last year.

Starfield has enjoyed a strong physical sales debut in the UK, despite its inclusion on day one in Game Pass.

Starfield has topped the weekly retail game sales chart in the United Kingdom, according to GamesIndustry.biz head Christopher Dring, who explained that the figure is particularly impressive because Xbox sales tend to skew heavily toward digital. According to Dring, when adding in Game Pass, Starfield could be the biggest launch of the year in terms of player counts in the United Kingdom.

Bethesda Game Studios’ Starfield had over one million concurrent players at launch and over six million players in total, and it seems to have scored big at retail as well. While the full UK physical retail charts from Gfk aren’t available yet, GamesIndustry’s Christopher Dring confirmed that it debuted in first place.

Former chairman of PlayStation Studios Shawn Layden has Thoughts and somewhat dire warnings about the videogame industry's future, though what exactly he means by "the videogame industry" is a little open to guesswork.

The former president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment America, Shawn Layden, has shared his concerns about what he believes to be threats to the games industry, and warned that acquisitions can serve as “an enemy of creativity”. 

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Gfk’s latest physical sales charts for the United Kingdom are yet to be fully detailed. However, Chris Dring of Games Industry revealed that Starfield’s Premium Upgrade entered seventh place in the UK’s top ten.

Development kits for Nintendo’s next console are now with key partner studios, with launch planned for next year, sources have told VGC.

Missed the GamesBeat Summit excitement? Don't worry! Tune in now to catch all of the live and virtual sessions here.

Pikmin 4 launched for the Nintendo Switch last week, and though Pikmin hasn’t necessarily been a historically big seller for Nintendo, it has, nonetheless, kept its dedicated fanbase waiting for its next mainline entry for quite some time. That, it seems, has resulted in a solid debut for the game where UK retail is concerned.

A free short webinar from GamesIndustry.biz and EGX will discuss the state of live events and their further evolution in helping games companies build, support and maintain communities.

Diablo 4 has earned itself a big opening month, with the game becoming the second fastest-selling game of the year in Europe.