Astral Chain is continuing the trend of Nintendo Switch games topping the UK charts over the summer, as it's the first game released by PlatinumGames to debut at the top spot in the UK.
PlatinumGames is a company that has released some beloved games that were critical darlings, but that doesn't always translate into sales. Bayonetta 2 received rave reviews from almost every gaming outlet and had a promotional bump from the Super Smash Bros. series, but it sold less than a million copies. The fact that Astral Chain is a brand new series means that even the great reviews it has received are no guarantee of it being financially successful.
It seems that Astral Chain could be a huge hit for PlatinumGames, as GamesIndustry.biz is reporting that it's the company's first game to debut at the number one spot on the UK sales charts in terms of physical units sold. Astral Chain beat out three other new releases to take the top spot, with Wreckfest debuting at number 2, The Dark Pictures Anthology: Man of Medan debuting at number 3, and Control debuting at number 4.
The UK sales chart only takes into account physical copies sold, so it's possible that the other new titles outsold Astral Chain on the digital front. However, Nintendo doesn't release those numbers to the public, so it's impossible to know for sure.
The Nintendo Switch has had an incredible summer in terms of the UK sales chart, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe recently returning to the top spot in preparation for the release of the Nintendo Switch Lite and Super Mario Maker 2 holding the top spot for several weeks in a row. Fire Emblem: Three Houses also topped the sales charts for several weeks following its release.
There are still several big Nintendo Switch titles that are due to be released in 2019, including The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening, Luigi's Mansion 3, and Pokémon Sword & Shield, so it's likely that more first-party Nintendo titles will reach the top of the UK sales chart before the end of the year.
Source: GamesIndustry.biz