Resident Evil 4 Remake has a record-setting launch

The recently released Resident Evil 4 Remake has become the UK’s eighth-largest Resident Evil boxed launch. Sales of the game are 29% higher than the original GameCube version, which was released in the UK in March 2005, which may not sound too impressive, but a closer look reveals that it is. 100% of sales on the GameCube were boxed products, while today, digital sales make up a significant portion of the market.

Compared to more recent titles, the sales of the Resident Evil 4 remake are lower, with a 23% drop compared to 2021’s Resident Evil Village and a 38% drop from the 2019 Resident Evil 2 remake. The 2020 Resident Evil 3 remake sales were 38% lower, ironically matching the ratios from the original titles. The Resident Evil 4 remake is the only one of the three to outsell the original.

73% of the game’s boxed sales were on PS5, 14% on Xbox consoles, and 13% on PS4. Xbox usually has a stronger digital share than physical, offsetting the extreme platform disparity. The game’s fancy £250 collector’s edition has made the game’s average selling price £62, making it the most expensive Resident Evil release so far.

Regarding other games on the charts, Hogwarts Legacy holds the second spot, while FIFA 23 sales rose 11%, making it 3rd for the week. The previous week’s top seller, WWE 2K 23, drops to 4th after a 58% drop in sales. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2’s DLC has boosted sales, leading to it jumping two places to 6th.

Super Mario Odyssey continues holding strong as Switch sales are off to a solid star this year, with a 16% rise, landing it in the 7th spot. Sonic Frontiers, which was heavily promoted this week, re-entered the charts in the 16th spot, with sales up 217%. The only other new game in the charts is Atelier Ryza 3: Alchemist of the End & the Secret Key, which debuts at No.32.