Football Manager 2021 stole the show on the digital sales front in the UK on the busiest shopping weekend of the year.
Black Friday weekend was a little different this year to how it has been in the past. As the global pandemic continues, queuing up outside of and cramming into stores wasn't really an option. Well, not in most parts of the world. There were some exceptions. A few gamers desperate to bag a PS5 in the sales brought their bedding with them on Thanksgiving and slept outside the stores.
Just because many physical stores were closed didn't mean Black Friday couldn't go ahead. More and more people are doing their shopping online and that split would have been given an extra boost this year. In the UK, digital game sales went up by 50% compared to last year while physical sales dropped by 20%.
That probably isn't all that surprising to many of you reading this. What might come as a bit of a shock is the game that topped the UK's Black Friday charts, at least when it comes to digital sales. Football Manager 2021. The Sega simulation game had the benefit of hitting virtual stores just three days before Black Friday, but its placement at the top of that GSD UK Digital chart should still be considered a massive accomplishment.
FM 2021's return to Xbox will have had a part to play in that. It beat new releases such as Black Ops Cold War, Spider-Man: Miles Morales, and Assassin's Creed Valhalla to the number one spot. However, its biggest victory is managing to beat its soccer-based rival to number one which is always easier said than done in the UK.
Even though FIFA 21 was released in October of this year sales of the franchise game tend to remain high all year round until the next edition is released. FIFA 21 only managed number three over Black Friday weekend. EA won't have minded losing out to Black Ops Cold War, but the loss to FM 2021 will have been a bitter pill to swallow. FIFA will win the war, of course, but losing what is a pretty major battle had to sting.
Source: Gamesindustry.biz