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It’ll all be over by Christmas, they said.
They were wrong. Call of Duty: WWII has clutched the UK Christmas number one, and has done so comfortably after a strong showing that has seen the game selling around 50%, still, then last year’s Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare, which also grabbed the coveted Christmas number one spot.
It’s not too surprising, with a Call of Duty taking the Christmas number 1 spot seven times (eight after WWII’s success), beaten only three times, by Fifa 09 (2008), The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (2011) and Fifa 14 (2013).
“We’re extremely proud that Call of Duty: WWII is the UK Christmas number 1," said Roy Stackhouse, VP for the UK and Iberia at Activision. "Marking the franchise’s fourth consecutive year in the holiday top spot. This also represents Call of Duty: WWII’s seventh straight week at the top of the charts,equaling the impressive achievements of Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy earlier this year."
"We’d like to thank our UK fans for their ongoing support and we look forward to sharing more updates in 2018. Until then we wish all our players a happy holiday season”.
EA have locked down second and third, with FIFA 18 taking the second spot with steady sales and Battlefront II, which has been buoyed, despite online outcry over loot boxes, by the release of the newest Star Wars blockbuster. After the release of The Last Jedi in cinemas, sales of Star Wars Battlefront II have spiked by 81 per cent, a massive increase that can probably be attributed to the game’s The Last Jedi content, and the ability to play as the shiny Captain Phasma in multiplayer now.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has charged headlong into the top five, despite the fact the game hasn’t technically launched yet, emerging into Microsoft’s Xbox Preview Program, with a boxed copy merely offering players a code in a box.
The top five is rounded off by historical stab-’em-up Assassin’s Creed: Origins, with a 76 per cent sales increase as Christmas gifts are acquired up and down the country.
1. Call of Duty WWII (Activision)
2) FIFA 18 (EA)
3) Star Wars Battlefront II (EA)
4) PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (Microsoft)
5) Assassin’s Creed Origins (Ubisoft)
6) Super Mario Odyssey (Nintendo)
7) Grand Theft Auto V (Rockstar)
8) WWE 2K18 (2K)
9) Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo)
10) Crash Bandicoot N.Sane Trilogy (Activision)
