Death Stranding releases and takes number 2 of UK Charts

Death Stranding debuted in second place in the UK retail chart this week. The game has become the second biggest PlayStation 4 exclusive, and the second biggest new IP launched in 2019, behind Days Gone. Compared to the open world zombie survival game, Hideo Kojima’s new title sold 36 percent less copies at launch.

Death Stranding is Kojima’s first new release since Metal Gear Solid 5: The Phantom Pain, which launched in September 2015. That game was the most successful Metal Gear Solid launch to date, and it seems as though Kojima’s momentum has continued despite going solo.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has retained the top spot in the chart for a third consecutive week. Sales are reportedly tracking 26 percent ahead of last year’s entry, Call of Duty: Black Ops 4. Luigi’s Mansion 3 on the other hand, dropped from second to fourth this week. The game saw a fall in sales of 59 percent week-on-week.

A number of new releases hit the shelves this week, including Need for Speed: Heat, which debuted in fifth. The series has struggled in recent years, and Heat sold 41 percent fewer physical copies than the previous release did at launch, Need for Speed: Payback.

FIFA 20 is holding strong in third place in the chart this week, while Plants vs Zombies: Battle for Neighborville has dropped to tenth. Despite the drop, the game saw a 10 percent increase in sales week-on-week, meaning the fourth week on sale saw more sales than the game’s debut.

A new Fortnite pack, The Darkfire Bundle, entered the chart in seventh, and Mario & Sonic at the Tokyo Olympics debuted in eighth. This makes the game the most successful Mario and Sonic title since the Nintendo Wii exclusive for the London 2012 games, released in 2011.

The only new Wii title in years has entered the chart in fifteenth, Just Dance 2020. The Nintendo Wii version was the second best selling version of the game, making up 21 percent of all sales. The Nintendo Switch version was the best selling with 55 percent of all copies sold, the PS4 version accounted for 14 percent, and the Xbox One version for 10 percent.

A more extended list of top sellers can be found here.