Signs of decline

Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 shot straight to the top of the UK sales charts this week, securing the biggest release of 2012 so far. However, the Activision published first-person shooter did not have enough ammunition to outpace any of its most recent predecessors, as it could only secure the fourth biggest British release of all time. As a result, it’s forced to sit behind Call of Duty: Black Ops, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 on the largest ever launch list. According to some excellent investigative work by Eurogamer.net, that means that the latest title sold less than 1.7 million copies during its first week, which explains why the publisher was so coy about specific sales numbers when it announced that the game had already raised $500 million a few days ago.

Meanwhile, Sony’s new package Wonderbook: Book of Spells failed to get off to a particularly magical start, finishing just 25th on the latest sales charts. Presumably the platform holder will be hoping that the game has a long tail, as it conjures its way into homes this Christmas. Fellow newcomers F1 Race Stars and Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed both suffered similarly disappointing launches, arriving in 26th and 27th respectively.

Elsewhere, the usual selection of favourites rounded out the top-ten. FIFA 13 dribbled its way into third, Assassin’s Creed III grappled onto fourth, and Skylanders: Giants stomped its way into fifth. Need for Speed: Most Wanted parked up in seventh, while Borderlands 2 proved its longevity by finishing in eighth.

Feel free to peruse the full list of movers and shakers through here.

[source chart-track.co.uk]