FIFA 15 remains in UK chart top spot despite Shadow of Mordor competition

Lord of the Rings spin-off Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor debuted in second in the UK software chart last week, failing to knock FIFA 15 from number one.

According to the latest Ukie games charts, compiled by GfK Chart-Track,EA’s football juggernaut saw its second consecutive weekly top spot, holding off competition from the arrival of three new games in the Top Five and the detrimental effect of a 70 per cent drop in total software sales.

FIFA’s biggest contender was Warner Bros’ Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, which despite being able to claim the chart crown, saw the biggest launch to date for a game based on the Lord of the Rings.

The orc-slashing title saw its biggest audience on PS4, with more than half (56 per cent) of plyers opting for Sony’s latest console. Comparatively, two fifths picked up the Xbox One version of the title, while just three per cent preferred PC.

Joining Mordor was open-world racing sequel Forza Horizon 2, which skidded into third.

Rounding out the Top Five newcomers was the 3DS version of Nintendo’s Super Smash Bros all-star fighting title, which entered at number four.

Former rankings star Destiny has to settle for fifth place, sales falling 30 per cent.

Further down in the charts, the transition of block-building giant Minecraft onto next-gen in the form of Minecraft: PlayStation 4 Edition almost doubles overall sales of Minecraft on PlayStation. Just over a third of the sales were on PS3.

Meanwhile, Minecraft: Xbox Edition drops to eighth, with no change in sales. The Xbox One edition of Minecraft is set for release later this year.

Four months after its release, Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs drops out of the Top 10 for the first time, slipping to number 11.

The only other new entry to break into the Top 40 this week is Focus Home Interactive’s Crimes & Punishments: Sherlock Holmes, which debuts at number 27.

Here’s the software Top 40 for the week ending October 4th:

1. FIFA 15 – EA

2. Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor – Warner Bros

3. Forza Horizon 2 – Microsoft

4. Super Smash Bros for 3DS – Nintendo

5. Destiny – Activision

6. Minecraft: PlayStation Edition – Sony

7. Disney Infinity 2.0 – Disney

8. Minecraft: Xbox Edition – Microsoft

9. Call of Duty: Ghosts – Activision

10. The Sims 4 – EA

11. Watch Dogs – Ubisoft

12. The Lego Movie Videogame – Warner Bros

13. Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare – EA

14. Grand Theft Auto V – Rockstar

15. The Last of Us Remastered – Sony

16. Tomodachi Life – Nintendo

17. Lego Marvel Super Heroes – Warner Bros

18. Terraria – 505 Games

19. Fantasy Life – Nintendo

20. Frozen: Olaf’s Quest – GSP/Avanquest

21. Battlefield 4 – EA

22. Hyrule Warriors – Nintendo

23. Wolfenstein: The New Order – Bethesda

24. Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag – Ubisoft

25. Sniper Elite 3 – 505 Games

26. Diablo III: Reaper of Soul – Ultimate Evil Edition – Blizzard

27. Crimes & Punishments: Sherlock Holmes – Focus Home Interactive

28. Mario Kart 8 – Nintendo

29. Metro Redux – Deep Silver

30. Skylanders Swap Force – Activision

31. Titanfall – EA

32. Skate 3 – EA

33. Rayman Legends – Ubisoft

34. Infamous: First Light – Sony

35. EA Sports UFC – EA

36. Need for Speed: Rivals – EA

37. Just Dance 2014 – Ubisoft

38. Madden NFL 15 – EA

39. LEGO The Hobbit – Warner Bros

40. Resident Evil 6 – Capcom