PS5 exclusive Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 is off to an incredibly impressive start, even able to fend off Super Mario Bros. Wonder to become the UK’s new no.1 in the retail chart. This does come as a mild surprise – Switch physical release sales tend to be strong in the UK, especially for major releases.
Sony’s chart success can be partly attributed to collector’s editions and console bundles – pack-in games still count as software sales in the UK retail charts, and chances are Spider-Man uber fans opted for the collector’s edition.
GI.biz also notes that it’s the fourth fastest selling boxed released of 2023 so far, and that it had a far stronger week than Spider-Man: Miles Morales – which was released on both PS4 and PS5.
Super Mario Bros. Wonder settled for #2. While sales data isn’t provided, it has clearly had an impressive launch – which in a way, makes Spider-Man 2’s launch even greater still. GI.biz claims that it’s the third biggest Super Mario launch in the UK behind Super Mario Odyssey and Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and the fifth fastest selling retail release of the year.
Sonic Superstars trailed behind at #4. Sales were down 63% over Sonic Frontiers (thanks again, GI.biz) and the Switch version was the biggest selling, taking 49% of sales.
The fourth and final new entry in the top 40 was Hot Wheels Unleashed 2 – Turbocharged at #32. Perhaps launching the same week as new Spider-Man, Super Mario, and Sonic games wasn’t the best idea. It may prove to be a slow but steady seller though.
This doesn’t seem to the be case for Lords of the Fallen, which – ironically – tumbled from #4 to #18 during its second week on sale. Even The Grinch: Christmas Adventures saw less of a drop, going from #8 to #20. Fortnite Transformers Pack, meanwhile, went from #17 to #24.
Back in the top ten, EA Sports FC 24 fell to #3, Assassin’s Creed Mirage dropped to #5, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe climbed to #6, Red Dead Redemption moved down to #7, Hogwarts Legacy climbed one position to #8, Minecraft took #9, and then at #10 it’s the return of Nintendo Switch Sports – presumably due to the new Switch console bundle including said sports collection.