Mario & Sonic Claim Gold In UK Sales Charts

Sega’s predications of Christmas sales chart victory for Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games have come true in the UK, with the game topping both the combined and individual unit sales charts three weeks after its initial release. Although it only beat Need for Speed: ProStreet in the combined sales charts by 330 units, Mario & Sonic saw sales increase by 39 percent to become the best performing Wii game ever over a seven day period. The game’s sudden rise to the top can be attributed in large part to its inclusion in several unofficial retail hardware bundles – generally the only way the supply constrained Wii is now sold in the UK. Similar bundles also accounted for the sudden re-appearance of Mario Party 8 at number four in the charts, as well as Rayman Raving Rabbids 2 at number twenty. The charts in general remain highly competitive, with only 8,000 units separating Mario & Sonic from fifth placed FIFA 08 in the combined sales chart. Meanwhile, Call of Duty 4 saw a new surge in sales, largely as a result of the Xbox 360 version whose sales increased by 45 percent, with a rise of three places in the individual sales chart to number three. Outside the top ten, the Wii Zapper/Link’s Crossbow Training hardware bundle became the highest new entry of the week at number twenty-two, just ahead of PlayStation 3 exclusive Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune and budget priced re-entry Viva Piñata on Xbox 360 at number twenty-four. Three weeks after its initial launch, Sega’s The Golden Compass has finally made it into the top forty, thanks to the release of the movie in British cinemas – although only the Wii version charted at number thirty-six.

Leisure software charts compiled by Chart Track, (C)2007. ELSPA Ltd