Grand Theft Auto tops boxed charts in quiet January

January is generally a quiet month for games, and this year it was no different.

3.5 per cent fewer units were sold this year – only 2m games – with 58m being generated from software sales. This is 4.5 per cent more revenue than last year.

The rise in revenue year-on-year is likely due to more Xbox One and PS4 games – which have a higher RRP – being in stores.

It’s the same names at the top of the charts. Rockstar’s Grand Theft Auto V is No.1 in the Top 40. That game also helps Take-Two become the second biggest UK games publisher in terms of revenue.

Activision Blizzard drops down the publisher rankings in terms of revenue, but remains in second place
in terms of units. This is due to the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. These SKUs have a lower RRP and formed 27 per cent of the game’s sales.

Meanwhile Ubisoft continues to have the largest publisher market share, claiming 17.2 per cent of all units sold and 17.5 per cent of revenue generated through software sales. This shouldn’t come as a surprise, with three of the publisher’s titles appearing in the All Formats Top 10.

All data from GfK Chart-Track.