UK CHARTS: January 2011

FIFA 11 keeps Electronic Arts at the top spot for a second month, and Ubisoft racks up a third consecutive month of growth. Interestingly, EA only outranks Ubi in terms of full-price software – the ongoing success of the Just Dance series makes the latter leader of the budget market.

After a brief dip in units last month, Xbox 360’s share of the market is on the rise again – but it is still 11.6 per cent behind its Halo-driven high of 39.8 per cent in September. The fall of Nintendo Wii and the release of LittleBigPlanet 2 and Mass Effect 2 has pushed PS3 up to second place, but it fails to topple Microsoft’s console. The PC also saw its market share increase by 3.9 per cent to its highest level since August last year.

The competition for market share in terms of value is remarkably close, with little to no difference between Sony and Activision, Sega and Take-Two, and THQ and Disney. EA, Ubisoft and Nintendo still dominate the top three, although the former boasts a 5.5 per cent lead over its nearest rival.

No change in the rankings this month, but the gaps are closing between the top two formats. A 3.3 increase in the PS3’s software market value has brought Sony within just five per cent of seizing the top spot, and a 5.1 per cent decline in the Wii’s games sales value reduces the chance of competition from Nintendo. The only other format to see a month-on-month increase was the PC, while the PSP and PS2’s share remained the same.

ALL FORMATS TOP 50: January 2nd – 29th

1. FIFA 11 (EA)
2. Call of Duty: Black Ops (Activision)
3. Just Dance 2 (Ubisoft)
4. LittleBigPlanet 2 (Sony)
5. Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood (Ubisoft)
6. Dead Space 2 (EA)
7. Wii Fit Plus (Nintendo)
8. Need For Speed: Hot Pursuit (EA)
9. Gran Turismo 5 (Sony)
10. Kinect Sports (Microsoft)
11. The Sims 3 (EA)
12. Fallout: New Vegas (Bethesda)
13. Art Academy (Nintendo)
14. Just Dance (Ubisoft)
15. Mass Effect 2 (EA)
16. Dance Central (Microsoft)
17. EA Sports Active 2 (EA)
18. Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare (Rockstar)
19. Football Manager 2011 (Sega)
20. Wii Sports Resort (Nintendo)
21. WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2011 (THQ)
22. Wii Party (Nintendo)
23. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
24. Your Shape: Fitness Evolved (Ubisoft)
25. Medal of Honor (EA)
26. New Super Mario Bros DS (Nintendo)
27. Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows (EA)
28. New Super Mario Bros Wii (Nintendo)
29. LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Warner Bros)
30. Michael Jackson: The Experience (Ubisoft)
31. Fable III (Microsoft)
32. Pro Evolution Soccer 2011 (Konami)
33. 007: Blood Stone (Activision)
34. Toy Story 3 (Disney)
35. Professor Layton and the Lost Future (Nintendo)
36. Red Dead Redemption (Rockstar)
37. DC Universe Online (Sony)
38. Halo: Reach (Microsoft)
39. Donkey Kong Country Returns (Nintendo)
40. Just Cause 2 (Square Enix)
41. GoldenEye 007 (Activision)
42. Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (EA)
43. Star Wars: The Force Unleashed II (LucasArts)
44. Batman: Arkham Asylum (Square Enix)
45. Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 (EA)
46. Forza Motorsport 3: Ultimate Collection (Microsoft)
47. Dead Rising 2 (Capcom)
48. Sega Mega Drive Ultimate Collection (Sega)
49. Mario Kart DS (Nintendo)
50. Megamind (THQ)

EA’s FIFA 11 maintained its grip on No.1 in the first month of 2011, fending off key new releases such as Dead Space 2 and Sony’s LittleBigPlanet 2.

The Sony platformer was still one of the strongest performers in January. It was the best-selling new entry of the month, outperforming the aforementioned Dead Space sequel, Disney’s Tangled and the PS3 version of Mass Effect 2.

However, Ubisoft claims the prize for highest-ranking single-format game with the even popular Just Dance 2. Its forebear is also still selling well, falling short of the Top 10 by just four places – despite being released as far back as November 2009.

As could be expected with January, fitness titles performed particularly well throughout the month. Wii Fit Plus sold the most at No.7, followed by EA Sports Active 2 at No.17 and Your Shape: Fitness Evolved at No.24 – all driven by the post-Christmas workout fad.

Activision still maintains a noticeable presence in the Top 50 with Call of Duty: Black Ops in second place.