Despite accumulating half the first week sales of its predecessor, Batman: Arkham Origins withstood competition from Grand Theft Auto V and FIFA 14 to claim the number one spot in this week’s UK charts. The figures, which were published by chart-tracking agency UKie, also unveiled that sales for Warner Bros. Montreal’s prequel were on par with that of 2009’s seminal Arkham Asylum.
Here’s the top ten list for this week in full:
1) Batman: Arkham Origins
2) Grand Theft Auto V
3) FIFA 14
4) Skylanders: Swap Force
5) Pokemon X
6) Pokemon Y
7) Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition
8) Lego: The Lord of the Rings
9) Moshi Monsters: Katsuma Unleashed
10) Just Dance 2014
These figures mean that Arkham series has went three-for-three this week, given that Asylum and City also debuted at the summit when each game launched in 2009 and 2011, respectively. It’s worth keeping in mind, however, that these figures don’t take the portable spin-off —namely Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate— into account, which also released last Friday for the Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita.
In terms of new releases, though, this week’s standings proved a tough sell for Ubisoft and Activision, with Rocksmith 2014 Edition and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles entering at 15th and 29th in that order. Moreover, EA’s latest expansion pack for The Sims 3 —entitled Into The Future —ranked at 18th. Aside from that, other notable entries included Lego: The Lord of the Rings and Moshi Monsters: Katsuma Unleashed, which each benefited from sales promotions.
Given that Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Battlefield 4 are both set to debut this week, it seems Batman: Arkham Origins’ hold on the throne may be somewhat short-lived. Until then, be sure to check out our glowing review of The Dark Knight’s latest outing and leave your thoughts about the game’s performance in the comments.