Black Ops Holds Off the Cataclysm in the UK

[John Funk]

Black Ops Holds Off the Cataclysm in the UK

Call of Duty: Black Ops remains the best-selling game of the week in the UK, even beating out the fastest-selling PC game of all time.

ChartTrack has released its weekly All-Format UK Sales Chart [http://www.chart-track.co.uk/index.jsp?c=p/software/uk/latest/index_test.jsp&ct=110015], and it isn't exactly surprising to some familiar faces at the top of the list. Call of Duty: Black Ops and FIFA 11 take first and second place respectively, with newcomer World of Warcraft: Cataclysm at third ahead of Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, and--

--wait, what? Earlier today we reported that Cataclysm had become the fastest-selling PC game of all time [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/106071-Cataclysm-Sets-New-Sales-Record], selling 3.3 million copies in its first 24 hours on sale. And yet ChartTrack says that it was outsold by both the month-old CoD BlOps and the two-month-old FIFA 11? That doesn't make any sense.

While it's kind of amusing to imagine that maybe people living in the UK just don't play WoW like the rest of the world, the logical answer is this: ChartTrack only tracks brick-and-mortar retail sales. Cataclysm was the first WoW expansion to be sold online at the moment of launch [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/104662-Buying-From-Blizzard-is-Quickest-Way-to-Play-Cataclysm], and it's likely that a good number of hardcore WoW junkies bought the game virtually so that they wouldn't have to waste time driving home from the store and installing it from a disc.

The rest of the list comes as no surprise whatsoever, but here it is:

1.) Call of Duty: Black Ops
2.) FIFA: 11
3.) World of Warcraft: Cataclysm
4.) Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
5.) Gran Turismo 5
6.) Just Dance 2
7.) Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit
8.) Donkey Kong Country Returms
9.) Professor Layton and the Lost Future
10.) Wii Fit Plus

(ChartTrack [http://www.chart-track.co.uk/?i=995&s=1111])

Permalink

 

[LeeHarveyO]

Even so Cata is only on PC, Black Ops and FIFA are on multiple platforms.

 

[Legion]

While I know that WOW is a huge game, I'd say that a significant amount of UK players (as in, the majority) are probably only console players. We don't tend to get advertisements for anything beyond consoles over here, the only World of Warcraft advertisement I have ever seen was one with Ozzy Osbourne on it, and even then it was on a niche channel.

Black Ops has had huge coverage and FIFA 11 is the main game for our *shudders* National Sport, so it makes sense that they'd be at the top really.

 

[NickCooley]

Thats surprising. I saw a shit load of adverts for Cataclysm, more than I saw for Black Ops. I'll just whisper a quiet hallelujah and be gone.

 

[slimeonline]

Was WOW released on monday? or was it only selling half the week

surprising nonetheless

 

[SalamanderJoe]

Surprising yes, but after all Cataclysm IS on PC and Call of Duty and FIFA are on pretty much anything with a screen and buttons.

 

[lee1287]

Been more WOW adverts than black ops TBH. However, more kids have xbox 360s then high spec p.c.

Soo makes sense, and FIFA 11 is great so...

 

[HobbesMkii]

I've got FIFA 11. I believe it.

 

[The Wykydtron]

FIFA?! I didn't have much hope for humanity to begin with but i'm really scraping the bottom of the proverbial barrel now...

Then again what was I expecting what with my country's fanatical obsession over some guys wearing different coloured shirts kicking a ball around until someone wins.

 

[Jaranja]

1.) Call of Duty: Black Ops
2.) FIFA: 11
3.) World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

So, the UK is being saved by soccer fanatics wielding guns..
Yeah that sounds about right!

Football fanatics*

 

[bob1052]

WoW not only had digital delivery, but pre-ordering allowed you to early download so you could literally start playing as soon as Cataclysm went live.

That allow was incentive for many people to buy on digital delivery, something this list can't account for.

 

[Jaranja]

1.) Call of Duty: Black Ops
2.) FIFA: 11
3.) World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

So, the UK is being saved by soccer fanatics wielding guns..
Yeah that sounds about right!

Football fanatics*

I was going to write that.

I hate the word soccer.

Yeah. Bloody people changing our language for some reason. >.>

 

[John Funk]

1.) Call of Duty: Black Ops
2.) FIFA: 11
3.) World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

So, the UK is being saved by soccer fanatics wielding guns..
Yeah that sounds about right!

Football fanatics*

I was going to write that.

I hate the word soccer.

Yeah. Bloody people changing our language for some reason. >.>

Soccer is short for "association football," a term originally coined by... the Brits.

 

[Jaranja]

1.) Call of Duty: Black Ops
2.) FIFA: 11
3.) World of Warcraft: Cataclysm

So, the UK is being saved by soccer fanatics wielding guns..
Yeah that sounds about right!

Football fanatics*

I was going to write that.

I hate the word soccer.

Yeah. Bloody people changing our language for some reason. >.>

Soccer is short for "association football," a term originally coined by... the Brits.

And I'm sure you have a point there somewhere. We don't call it Soccer, though; we call it Football.

 

[DeadlyYellow]

Cataclysm confuses me.

Is it a forced update? If so, do they really expect their players to purchase another box for data they can get for free?

I just don't understand it.

 

[spartan1077]

Cataclysm confuses me.

Is it a forced update? If so, do they really expect their players to purchase another box for data they can get for free?

I just don't understand it.

It's not forced or just a patch. They released a patch where all of Azeroth was changed(one of the big points in Cata and it was released free) but people want to reach 85, get new gear and generally have more fun. Most people who don't have all the expansions stop playing because they can't find anyone that is the same. At least not enough to do any raids or heroics(requires 5-10-25 players at certain levels)

Anyways: glad Catakalysm(reference ) is getting so much publicity. Although I'm sad Black Ops is beating it in the UK, I see why with all the consoles and shooting things.

 

[Denamic]

Cataclysm confuses me.

Is it a forced update? If so, do they really expect their players to purchase another box for data they can get for free?

I just don't understand it.

Even if you don't buy cataclysm, the new world and all the changes to the gameplay are free.
So you could make a new character and experience all the new level 1 to 60 content without Cataclysm.
However, Worgen, Goblins, the new level 80+ zones and such are locked until you have bought the expansion.
So in a way, you could experience a large part of the expansion for free.