Everything Changes But The Chart

“There are new and exciting games available and more and more family orientated and mentally stimulating titles to grasp and hold the interest of all ages.” That’s what ELSPA’s Paul Jackson said about the record breaking software sales of 2006.

So where are those “new and exciting” games in the chart of the year? Nowhere. For at least the third year running, it’s all licenses and franchises. Even the Americans managed to get Brain Age (or Brain Training if you didn’t import it) into their full year top ten.

But if we have a closer look, we can see familiarity more remarkable than that. Let’s inspect the top three over the last two years.

Is that not incredibly scary? Just how predictable are you people? There’s more.

• Grand Theft Auto: #4 in 2006, #8 in 2005
• Star Wars: #5 in 2006; #5 and #7 in 2005
• The Sims: #6 and #9 in 2006, #10 in 2005

We can pretty much pair the rest of them off too. The big film tie-in in 2006 was Cars at #6, in 2005 it was King Kong at #9. Tomb Raider Legend at #8 in 2006 and Gran Turismo 4 at #4 in 2005 are both from series of a similar vintage. That just leaves WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007 at #10 in 2006 and FIFA Street at #6 in 2005, both slightly unconventional sports games.

If you go back another year to 2005, you’ll find FIFA, Pro Evolution Soccer, Need for Speed and Grand Theft Auto all in the top five. It’s ridiculous, isn’t it?

The serious question has to be whether this is sustainable. But you certainly won’t find an answer to that here. Let’s just point and laugh, pretending that we’re better than everyone else.

UK Chart of 2006

1. FIFA 07
2. Pro Evolution Soccer 6
3. Need For Speed: Carbon
4. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories
5. Lego Star Wars 2: The Original Trilogy
6. The Sims 2: Pets
7. Cars
8. Tomb Raider Legend
9. The Sims 2
10. WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2007

UK Chart of 2005

1. FIFA 06
2. Pro Evolution Soccer 5
3. Need for Speed: Most Wanted
4. Gran Turismo 4
5. Star Wars EP III: Revenge of the Sith
6. FIFA Street
7. Star Wars: Battlefront II
8. Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
9. King Kong: Official Game of the Movie
10. The Sims 2