This is not true twitter.com/IdleSloth84_/s
Christopher Dring’s Tweets
More people have bought Animal Crossing: New Horizons in just over 3 months than they have the entire Metroid franchise over 34 years
The motivation behind Sony's acquisition of Bungie is to help boost their own abilities to make live-service, multiplatform games. equally, Sony unlocks the potential to Bungie to strengthen its technical capabilities and the prospect of taking its games to movies/TV
Spider-Man: Miles Morales is the best Christmas game ever made
One of the highest rated PS5 exclusives is owned by Xbox. The best-selling non-Nintendo game on Switch is also owned by Xbox. And one of the breakthrough Game Pass games of the year was developed by Sony. Wouldn’t it be nice if the fans could get along, too?
And Jim Ryan told me 'We should expect more' when it comes to further PlayStation acquisitions
I don't think Activision Blizzard/Microsoft is going to get blocked. Video games competition is not just Sony, Xbox and Nintendo. It's Apple, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Epic Games, Valve, Tencent... it's a super competitive industry at the billion-dollar level.
Console war bullshit is getting increasingly tiresome. It’s great that you love the thing you love. You don’t have to hate everything else
I said yesterday that Nintendo Switch is the best console of all time. And all jokes aside, I legitimately think it is. Not because it’s got great games (they’ve all got those). Or because it’s great online (it isn’t). Or the most powerful (it isn’t). Or has the best design…
Elden Ring's UK launch was absolutely huge (digital + physical sales). It is the biggest game launch outside of FIFA and Call of Duty since Red Dead Redeption 2 in 2019. Bigger than Assassin's Creed: Valhalla. Bigger than Cyberpunk 2077 (GSD market data)
I think Elden Ring is the best-selling new IP in the UK since Destiny back in 2014... unless I'm forgetting something.
Fun fact: Metroid Dread has already sold more in 1 week than Samus Returns sold in its entirety (boxed sales only)
Microsoft's spending spree isn't a threat to Sony. It's a threat to Sony, Ubisoft, EA, Take-Two, Tencent and pretty much every major games conglomerate going
Games industry 2030. The big 3 are Google, Amazon & Microsoft, all running subscription streaming platforms featuring first-party titles (plus whatever games they’ve signed from Embracer & Tencent).
Meanwhile, Nintendo releases a calculator that plays Mario Kart. It sells 150m
Elden Ring has sold 12m copies worldwide. Real breakout hit. And yes, it's a new IP.
PlayStation 5 is the fastest selling console in US history in both unit and dollar sales. Impressive feat during a pandemic
If Call of Duty is eventually leaving PlayStation (I'm still not convinced), then that's a hell of an exciting opportunity for the other shooter developers out there. Perhaps PlayStation will even make its own one
The deal was in the works for the past 5/6 months. Its not a reaction to the Take-Two/Zynga or Microsoft/Activision deals.
Gulp. I'm just seeing the Elden Ring UK numbers (including digital) and something special happened last week for FromSoftware. Bear with me
The Last of Us Part II is the UK’s fastest selling Sony game on PS4, bigger than the Uncharted 4 launch in boxed sales alone. It’s the biggest game launch this year by far, smashing the opening sales of Animal Crossing, and comfortably bigger than its predecessor
Fun fact. PlayStation 5 in the UK has already sold more than Wii U, PlayStation Vita and Sega Dreamcast
… but because it’s a console that allowed a 30-something dad with a hectic work schedule to easily play and complete dozens of console-quality AAA games. And also play multiplayer together with the family, in and out of the home…
The reason I didn’t list Starfield on my ‘most anticipated’ games list isn’t because I don’t think it’ll be awesome. It’s because it’s a massive open world RPG you play on your TV, and I’m a 37 year-old with 2 very young children. Those 2 things aren’t compatible
So Resident Evil Village is the second biggest launch of the year so far behind Mario 3D World. 49% of its sales were on PS5. It's the third biggest PS5 game launch so far
In the UK last month, Xbox Series S/X was the best-selling console. That's 3 different best-selling consoles in the UK over the last 3 months (November: PS5. December: Switch)
… loads of folk have a story to tell about this. It’s a flexible machine that can be whatever you need it to be. A ‘lifestyle’ console. I’ve played more of my Switch than any console that came before. Not because the games are better. But because it’s so much easier to play them
My most anticipated games of 2023
1. Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom
2. Spider-Man 2
3. Resident Evil 4 Remake
4. Goldeneye remaster
5. Pikmin 4
Notable mentions: Fire Emblem Engage, Alan Wake 2, Dead Space
You go
The digital data is in. Hogwarts Legacy's opening week was 56% bigger across Europe than Elden Ring. It's the biggest game launch outside of FIFA & Call of Duty since Red Dead Redemption 2.
It backs up the theory that gamers are gravitating towards the big brands at the moment
Some of the leaders behind the Forza Horizon series have left Playground Games and formed a new AAA studio called Maverick, to make an open world game for consoles and PC.
PS5 is now bigger than the N64 in the UK, and is closing in on the GBA. Xbox Series S/X overtook the GameCube a few months back. If only there was more stock, we'd be seeing some serious records breaking here. Long generation ahead
Sales of the The Last of Us Part 1 spiked 238% in the UK (boxed sales alone) while The Last of Us Remastered jumped 322%. No prizes for working out why
Animal Crossing: New Horizons has been a huge hit in the UK. Its sales are 3.5 times bigger than the launch of the last main game (on 3DS). Its launch week is bigger than the launch of all the other Animal Crossing games combined (inc spin offs). And that’s even without digital
Fire Emblem: Three Houses is No.1 in the UK charts this week. Sold almost double the launch sales of 2013’s Fire Emblem Awakening, and more than double the combined sales of the first two Fire Emblem Fates games (2016)
God of War Ragnarok’s first week boxed sales in the UK were bigger than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, Pokemon Legends: Arceus and Elden Ring’s. This is just boxed sales, and digital may change that as CoD was a huge digital launch (download data arrives later). But still… wow.
PS5 stock levels jumped by 56% in August (compared with July) in the UK, which means that Sony's console has overtaken the Switch to become 2022's best-selling console (so far)
63% of Elden Ring's UK boxed sales were on PS5, with 17% on Xbox, 17% on PS4 and 3% on PC. Note: PC and Xbox are heavily digital platforms, this is purely for boxed sales.
Biomutant has been denied a No.1 in the UK boxed charts because a number of PS5s went on sale last week, which caused a surge in sales of Spider-Man: Miles Morales. The game is no.1 for a second time this year
To be clear, Sony outright told me "we have not cut PlayStation VR2 production numbers." There was no nuance in that.
The reason regulators are doubtful over Microsoft insistence that it will keep Call of Duty multi-platform, is based on what happened with Bethesda: "Microsoft did not uphold its promise to continue making Bethesda content available on multiple stores and
platforms"
A lot of PS5s came in stock this week in the UK (for all of 5 minutes), which is why Spider-Man: Miles Morales jumped 359% in boxed sales and is at No.3 in the charts. Spider-Man seems to be the game of choice for new PS5 owners (understandably, because it’s brilliant)
God of War Ragnarok, after just one day, has already outsold what the previous God of War did in its first week. That's UK boxed sales data supplied to GI by GfK.
Remarkably, Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart sold better in its second week than its first in the UK (up 2% in boxed sales). This is a very rare thing to see. It only tends to happen with casual games like Just Dance. I am guessing it might be PS5 hardware bundle related. Great result
GT7 is my first Gran Turismo. It won’t be my last. What a fantastic racing game
To all the PlayStation and Xbox fans arguing in my feed about which console is selling the best and which one is going to win (like it’s some form of football match). I’ll settle it for you.
Ready?
Are you Sure?
It’s Nintendo
Final review of Xbox's showcase: Huge variety of games, smart partnerships with popular online titles, major dev signing, big push into Japan, ending on detailed gameplay of what will surely be Xbox's biggest ever game launch... very good.
My 2023 predictions.
- MS/ABK deal won’t go through next year. But it will go through eventually
- PS5 and XSX will stay on shelves (finally)
- Nintendo won’t launch hardware
- Starfield, Zelda and Spider-Man 2 will have record breaking launches
PlayStation's Jim Ryan has criticised Xbox's Call of Duty offer, saying that Microsoft has only promised to keep the series on PlayStation for 3 years beyond the current deal with Activision
Xbox Series S and X are the best-selling consoles in Norway.
These are the sort-of facts that make following me worthwhile.
Tell me the games industry is full of middle class people without telling me the games industry is full of middle class people
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Xbox is going to buy more Studios. If you only have a PlayStation, I suggest expanding where and how you play.
There’s a popular fanboy argument that games like God of War Ragnarok and Horizon: Forbidden West did well because they had official hardware bundles. But that’s just not true. Those bundles certainly helped, but they didn’t account for anywhere near the majority of sales
"The CMA has provisionally concluded that the anticipated acquisition by Microsoft Corporation of Activision Blizzard will not result in a substantial lessening of competition in relation to console gaming in the UK"
GTA 5 ended Elden Ring's reign at the top of the charts in the UK. GTA 5's PS5/Xbox Series launch was the second biggest digital launch of the year (behind Elden Ring). 55% of digital sales were on PS5, 35% on Xbox Series, and the rest on legacy platforms
If I was working for PlayStation right now, when I look at Elden Ring's performance, and particularly Elden Ring's PC sales... I'd be fast-tracking a PC port of Demon's Souls right about now
Across European markets in January, PS5 sales are up 202% compared with the year before (when there were big stock shortages). PS5 was the No.1 console last month, Switch falls to No.2 (sales down 11% compared with Jan 2022), while Xbox Series S and X are No.3 (sales down 32%)
PS5 stock coming thick and fast. In January in the UK, PS5 sales were up over 98% compared with the same month last year. This week, God of War Ragnarok is No.2 in the charts… and that’s due to rising stock levels
More PS5 stock came into the UK last week. As a result, Horizon Forbidden West is No.1 again with sales up 31% week-on-week
A few stats from the UK March charts. Xbox console sales were up 61% over February thanks to a rise in stock for the Series X model. It was the No.1 console of the month ahead of Nintendo Switch. Xbox controllers topped the accessories charts, too
The original Perfect Dark also had a bunch of senior staff leave mid-way through development. Back then, the folks who replaced them did a great job. This time around, those folks are Crystal Dynamics, who did an astounding job rebooting Lara Croft. I remain firmly optimistic
The Brazil regulator argued that the fact Call of Duty isn't on Switch proves that it isn't essential for a console to succeed: The CMA disagrees: "Nintendo offers differentiated hardware and content aimed primarily at a
different (eg, more ‘family-friendly’) customer segment"
Word on the industry bongos is that Xbox Series X supply will improve quite a bit for the year-end run-in, just in time for Halo Infinite and Forza Horizon. Microsoft will utilise those games and Game Pass as the key hardware selling points during the Christmas sales window
Three games companies expressed concerns to the UK regulator about the Activision Blizzard/Microsoft acquisition. So it's not JUST PlayStation
PS5 games accounted for almost 19% of all games sold in the UK last week... despite the console not being available yet
In the UK last year, if you add every PS5 sold to every PS4 sold to every Xbox Series sold to every Xbox One sold... you get pretty much how much Nintendo Switch sold
Sony's renewed investment in VR fits well with the PlayStation identity of creating immersive experiences that can only be experienced at their best on the unique hardware it creates
Xbox Series S and X have together hit 2m sales in the UK after 128 weeks. That's a whole 12 weeks faster than Nintendo Switch
You don’t have to boycott Bayonetta 3 for it to flop. Based on the first two games, it was going to do that anyway
A big increase in PS5 console stock in the UK has sent Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart to no.3 in the weekly charts (sales up 288%) and Spider-Man: Miles Morales to No.6 (sales up 242%)
Today’s headline: ‘Pokemon fans angry new Pokemon game is good’
One more Super Mario 3D All-Stars stat. It’s the third biggest game launch of the year behind The Last of Us and Animal Crossing
Alan Wake Remastered was No.5 in the UK Boxed charts. 84% of its sales were on PlayStation platforms!
Xbox Series X and S has surpassed 1m sales in the UK. It was December's second biggest platform (behind Switch) due to a 108% increase in sales over November. It was the biggest month so far for Xbox Series S/X in the UK, even beating its launch week.
Elden Ring is comfortably the biggest ‘Souls’ game launch of all time at UK boxed retail (GfK figures). Sales are 26% up on Dark Souls 3 (the previous best). It narrowly missed out on beating the physical sales for Horizon: Forbidden West
PS5 had another great month in the UK during July. It sold almost as many consoles as all the other platforms combined (almost)
Along with its five acquisitions, PlayStation have also signed the first games from new AAA studios Deviation Games, Firewalk, and Haven. That’s a lot of big games in the works before you even get to Naughty Dog, Insomniac, Media Molecule etc
I find the narrative that Xbox is in some form of crisis a bit overblown. It’s been a tough few weeks, and there have been notable gaps in the schedule. But its first-party output has generally been very good. And they’ve got a great line-up for the generation
Metroid Dread is the biggest launch for the franchise in UK chart history, beating Metroid Prime 3: Corruption on Wii by a good margin. And this is without digital downloads
From a physical retailer perspective, Horizon: Forbidden West's performance looks good. Sales aren't too far off the physical sales of Call of Duty: Vanguard. It did more in its first week than the PS5 version of FIFA 22...
Great looking Halo reviews. Microsoft is easily the games publisher of the year, and that's really just been in the last 6 months. It's been a little while since we've been able to say that
Today, Microsoft is making its big play to convince the European Commission to allow its bid to buy Activision Blizzard to continue. Lots of senior games industry execs will be at the closed hearing. This is like the Super Bowl for video games business journalists
This week’s physical UK No.1 isn’t Nintendo Switch Sports! It fell to No.2… instead, Horizon: Forbidden West is back in the top spot due to a new PS5 hardware bundle. The game’s sales are up 94%. :
Sales are also up for GT7 (no.10) and Ratchet & Clank (no.15)
Earlier today I tweeted how the Nintendo Switch is the greatest games console of all time... and some people questioned it. But I'm afraid that wasn't an opinion. It was cold, hard, scientific fact.
Final Fantasy 16 is No.1 this week in the UK, but as boxed launches go, it wasn’t a particularly strong one. Physical sales are 74% lower than the launch week of Final Fantasy 15 in 2016. Obviously, digital is a much much bigger component of sales today. That data comes later
PlayStation will aquire Firewalk Studios, the developer made up of former Bungie devs working on a AAA multiplayer game for PC & PS5. Sony had already announced it would be publishing this game back in 2021. It's the 20th PlayStation Studios team
Over a million games consoles have been sold in the UK during the first half of the year. PS5 is comfortably the market leader, with Nintendo Switch in second place and the Xbox Series S and X snapping at its heels
The reality that PS4 will fall 35m (ish) short of PS2 and still be the most successful games machine the company has made is another example as to why install base is really not the best measure for how successful a console is
PS5 increasing in price by €50/£30 in Europe and UK, plus rises in Canada, Australia and China. Rising costs have forced Sony’s hand. No rise in the US. I don’t expect it to hurt PS5 sales in the short term, but will boost Xbox’s message about lowering the cost barrier to games
Sony has denied its cutting PSVR 2 shipments: "We are seeing enthusiasm from PlayStation fans for the upcoming launch, which includes more than 30 titles such as Gran Turismo 7, Horizon Call of the Mountain, and Resident Evil Village."
More PS5 console stock arrived in the UK last week, which sent Gran Turismo 7 back up to No.2, Horizon Forbidden West to No.3, while Spider-Man: Miles Morales, Ratchet & Clank, Ghostwire: Tokyo and Ghost of Tsushima: Director's Cut are all back in the Top 40 (boxed sales)
Horizon: Forbidden West is No.1 again in the UK physical charts. Sales up 120% and entirely because of the PS5 version. This is driven by console bundling. Nintendo Switch Sports is at No.2
The Xbox 'crisis' was always overblown, and this showcase just proved it
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After a shaky few weeks, Microsoft delivered a stellar showcase packed with major AAA games gamesindustry.biz/what-crisis-xb
God of War Ragnarok is No.1 in the UK retail charts. Sales up 32% week-on-week. Possibly hardware related as more PS5 units reach the shops
More from Ryan: “Philosophically, this isn’t about pulling things into the PlayStation world. This is about building huge and wonderful new worlds together.”
It's Gamescom 2025 and the whole games industry is attending: Embracer, Tencent AND Microsoft
One thing I didn't tweet about too much earlier in the week, is that PS5's monthly active users and playtime statistics are up 'double digits' compared with the launch of PS4. It does somewhat contradict the notion that 'most' PS5s are in the hands of scalpers
Smith also revealed that in Europe, Xbox has 20% of the console market vs Sony's 80%. That number is 70/30 globally. In Japan, it is 96/4.
The UK regulator (the CMA) has detailed why it is currently concerned about Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
1. The Impact on PlayStation and games subs
2. The Impact on Game Streaming
So PS5 stock has slowed quite a bit in the UK. In April, PS4 sold more than PS5. Nintendo Switch was the No.1 console overall, followed by the Xbox Series platforms
Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is no.1 in the UK boxed charts. Its sales are in line with some of the other new releases this year, such as New Pokemon Snap and Monster Hunter Rise. It sold three times more then Returnal at launch.
So those wondering where Sony's $300m PC revenue is going to come from, now we have the answer. Spider-Man has become one of the world's biggest console franchises. 33m sales across those first two PlayStation games is a new high bar for Sony
PS5 games take the Top Three in the UK charts this week, led by Ghost of Tsushima. Ratchet & Clank sales are up 105%