Metroid Dread is the highest-grossing Metroid game launch in UK history | UK Boxed Charts

Updated: This article originally reported that Metroid Dread was the fastest-selling Metroid game in the UK based on boxed sales alone. GfK has since clarified that Metroid Prime on GameCube remains the fastest-selling Metroid title by boxed sales. Metroid Dread is the highest-grossing Metroid game at launch.

It was a blockbuster week for video game releases, and there are four new games in the UK Top Ten.

The game at the top isn't new, however. That game is EA's FIFA 22, which holds firm at No.1 for a second week. The game dropped 58% in boxed sales week-on-week, which is quite a small drop for FIFA -- last year's game dropped 65% in its second week.

It's worth noting that FIFA sales at boxed retail have fallen sharply year-on-year. Currently FIFA 22's boxed sales are 32% lower than what FIFA 21 managed over the same two-week period (this is according to GfK's retail sales data).

However, the game has actually sold better than ever before via digital downloads, and as a result, FIFA 22 is currently beating its predecessor in the UK overall (digital download data is supplied by GSD, but arrives later in the week).

FIFA's closest rival this week is Far Cry 6 from Ubisoft. The game's boxed sales are almost 70% lower than Far Cry 5, which was released in March 2018. 47% of sales were on PS5, 24% on PS4 and 29% on Xbox platforms. The drop looks severe, but even in three years digital has accelerated significantly, and as we saw with FIFA, it almost certainly did a lot better than it appears.

We can be a bit more conclusive about the No.3 game. Metroid Dread on Nintendo Switch is the highest-grossing Metroid game launch in the UK to-date, eclipsing the original Metroid Prime on GameCube. In terms of unit sales, Metroid Dread was less than 1,000 units away from over-taking Metroid Prime. Of course, digital data is missing, and it's safe to say that Metroid Dread sold more than 1,000 downloads in the UK. Therefore we can confidently state that Metroid Dread is also the fastest-selling Metroid game to-date.

The game sold three and a half times more copies at launch than the last 2D Metroid Game: Metroid: Samus Returns, which launched on 3DS in 2017, after the Switch had some out.

It's good news for Metroid, which is one of Nintendo's smaller franchises, but has a dedicated and vocal fanbase. It is the fifth biggest Nintendo Switch launch of the year, behind Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury, The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, Monster Hunter Rise and New Pokémon Snap.

Next on the new releases is Alan Wake Remastered at No.5. The original game was an Xbox 360 exclusive, so this is the first time the title has been on PlayStation platforms. And it seems to have paid off. 63% of the game's sales were on PS5, 21% on PS4 and 17% on Xbox consoles. The firm said in an interview with GamesIndustry.biz that it hoped Alan Wake would find a new audience on Sony's consoles, and the early evidence suggests that it may have succeeded.

The other new release of the week is Super Monkey Ball: Banana Mania at No.8. The Sega game sold more than double the previous release -- Super Monkey Ball: Banana Blitz HD (released in October 2019). Featuring updated versions of the popular Nintendo GameCube games, it's no surprise to see 70% of its sales were on Nintendo Switch. 17% of sales was on PS5, 6% on Xbox and 6% on PS4.

The final new release wasn't a game at all, but a console. Nintendo released its OLED Switch, and the new model has had an immediate impact on Switch game sales, which are up 26% over the week before. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (up 15%), Minecraft (up 5%), Animal Crossing: New Horizons (up 4%), Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury (up 17%), The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (up 19%), Luigi's Mansion 3 (up 21%), The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword (up 16%) and Super Mario Odyssey (up 22%) all benefited.

Last week's new release Hot Wheels Unleashed continues to do well, although it drops from No.4 to No.11 after a 50% sales fall. Deathloop takes a big drop, plunging from No.12 to No.40 after a 58% sales slide. That game is primarily a PS5 exclusive (there is a PC version, but PC games don't sell strongly at physical retail), and the performance of PS5 games vary depending on the availability of the console.

Here is the GfK top ten for the week ending October 9, 2021: