Christmas is coming. Not quite as threatening as the official motto of House Stark, but equally as exciting. With the holidays approaching fast, Christmas shopping is at its peak. One of the most sought-after presents is a shiny new video game. As usual, FIFA and Call of Duty are on top of the conversation, but only one of them can claim first place in this race.
Official data provided by GfK, and first published by GI.biz today, reveals FIFA 23 is the U.K’s champion in the week leading up to Christmas, leaving CoD: MW2 in second place. The data provided highlights a remarkable 67 percent growth in sales for the EA title compared to the previous week. Modern Warfare 2 also enjoys a rise in sales, although a much more modest 13 percent.
While it is logical to assume the recently concluded World Cup played a huge role in propelling FIFA 23 to the top of the charts, being a prominent feature of Christmas retail is far from unusual for the series. Various FIFA games have been the Christmas bestseller in the U.K. a total of 10 times over the years, more than any other franchise since GfK began collecting retail data. The rivalry with Call of Duty is on full display again, with Activision’s flagship series trailing just barely, with nine chart-toppers.
The FIFA–Call of Duty duopoly is rarely challenged. The only games to push through this wall in the U.K. since 2011 are Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, another annual franchise, and Red Dead Redemption 2, which is simply a phenomenal game. We have to go 11 years back in time and into the world of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, for another such case.
God of War: Ragnarok is already beginning to experience the pain of being a single-player offering. The Game of the Year nominee registered a 23 percent decrease in sales from the week prior, which dropped it from first place down to third.
The other games that made the Christmas top 10 list, in order, are Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Pokémon Violet, Nintendo Switch Sports, Pokémon Scarlet, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, Minecraft: Switch Edition, and Just Dance 2023. Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 is the single new release on the list.
