We’re in the middle of a pandemic, a month away from the PlayStation 5, in a climate where more and more players are selecting digital software – but despite all of that, Activision will surely be disappointed with Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time’s opening UK physical sales. To be fair, the title did top the charts – but that’s despite registering an 80 per cent decline compared to Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, which only launched on one platform.
This could be a wake-up call for publishers looking to push higher prices: the game costs upwards of £54.99 at retail, and while we don’t have access to digital numbers, it’s hard to imagine fans turned out in droves to purchase the game for £59.99 from the PlayStation Store. Of course, this is just physical British sales data, and it’s perfectly plausible that the title may have had greater success in other countries. It sold 82 per cent of its units on Sony’s hardware.
All that said, it narrowly beat out Star Wars Squadrons, which debuted in second place on the UK software charts. Again, the game registered 72 per cent less sales than Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, although it received a much smaller marketing campaign. Untitled Goose Game was the only other new physical release of the week, and that entered the charts in 34th position. Coronavirus is undoubtedly having an impact – but it does make you wonder how those new £69.99 price points are going to fare, doesn’t it?
UK Sales Charts: Week Ending 4th October 2020
- Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time
- Star Wars Squadrons
- Super Mario 3D All-Stars
- Animal Crossing: New Horizons
- Marvel’s Avengers
- Mario Kart 8: Deluxe
- Minecraft Dungeons
- Minecraft: Switch Edition
- Mafia: Definitive Edition
- Mafia Trilogy
