FIFA 21’s digital download launch sales are the biggest in the franchise, selling almost a third more than its predecessor. Plus, it marks the first time that a console FIFA game has sold more digitally than physical copies.
This is according to a report from GamesIndustry.Biz, based on the latest GSD data from the UK games market. While digital sales have rocketed, the same cannot be said for physical sales, which had dropped by 42%, as previously reported at the start of the week.
With EA promising players the chance to upgrade their current-gen versions of FIFA 21 onto the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S, it’s likely there will be a rise in physical sales when the time comes. A key reason for an increase in digital sales has been due to Ultimate Team Mode.
FIFA 21 still took the top spot for the biggest launch of 2021 in the UK (currently) with fellow EA title Star Wars: Squadrons claiming the second place spot. Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time raced into third, with two Minecraft titles making the top ten in seventh and eighth places respectively. Marvel’s Avengers scraped in at ninth.
PlayStation 4 sales of FIFA 21 were highest at 62%, followed by Xbox One which accounted for 36% of sales, and the Nintendo Switch with 2%.
Elsewhere with FIFA 21, it was recently announced that the game would not include Elland Road, the home ground of recently promoted Leeds United, due to the late conclusion to the Premier League season as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
EA said: “The later than planned end to the 2019/20 season meant we weren’t able to recreate Elland Road in an EA SPORTS FIFA game for the first time ever in time for the launch of FIFA 21”
FIFA 21 is available on the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PC, and will later be released on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S.
