Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury kicks off 2021 as the game to beat, sales-wise

Wii U remaster retains top spot for second week

Nintendo’s recent Switch release Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury is enjoying a second week on top of the UK Charts, having fended off a sales rush from Electronic Arts’ football simulator FIFA 21. Despite physical sales dropping over 60% on its first week, the Wii U remaster is now handily the best-selling new release of 2021… But we still have a long way to go.

The rest of the Top Ten remains relatively stagnant, consisting mostly of big hitters from 2020. Nintendo continues to dominate with steady physical sales of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and Ring Fit Adventure, while Activision’s Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War and Take-Two Interactive’s Grand Theft Auto V are enjoying new sales each and every week. Bandai Namco’s Little Nightmares II slipped from the Top Ten after just one week, natural movement for a typically niche title.

The first quarter of 2021 is a relatively quiet one, but this week will see the release of the long-awaited RPG sequel Bravely Default II, which launches on Switch February 26. The current climate merely reflects the state of so many new generations, where an opening salvo of launch titles is immediately followed by a period of drought. The release schedule will pick up as we exit the first quarter of 2021.

U.K. video game sales chart w/e: February 20, 2021
(Chart reflects in-store physical sales only)

1. Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury – Nintendo
2. FIFA 21 – Electronic Arts
3. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Nintendo
4. Animal Crossing: New Horizons – Nintendo
5. Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War – Activision
6. Minecraft – Nintendo
7. Grand Theft Auto V – Take-Two Interactive
8. Ring Fit Adventure – Nintendo
9. Spider-Man Miles Morales – Sony Interactive Entertainment
10. Just Dance 2021 – Ubisoft

U.K. video game charts [GamesIndustry.biz]