UK CHARTS: FIFA nutmegs Call of Duty

Mirroring the early 2008 chart success of EA’s FIFA 08, the publisher’s latest take on the beautiful game is starting 2009 on the front foot having pipped Call of Duty: World at War for the second time at the top of the ELSPA Gfk-ChartTrack All Formats Top 40.

FIFA 09 achieves this feat despite a 41 per cent drop in sales. Activision Blizzard’s WWII shooter also sees retail activity slump – though the 50 per cent drop still sees it finish 5,000 unit sales ahead of EA’s Need for Speed: Undercover, which sticks firm in third spot.

Guitar Hero: World Tour has a strong week, climbing from seventh spot to fourth, whilst predecessor Guitar Hero III also climbs from 17th to 11th. Ubisoft’s Far Cry 2 enjoys a resurgence, re-entering the top ten in seventh place, whilst Nintendo’s 100 Classic Book Collection enters the top 40 for the first time in 27th spot.

The ELSPA Gfk-ChartTrack Top 10 in full (week ending January 3rd):

1. FIFA 09 (EA)
2. Call of Duty: World at War (Activision Blizzard)
3. Need for Speed: Undercover (EA)
4. Guitar Hero: World Tour (Activision Blizzard)
5. Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games (Sega)
6. Wii Play (Nintendo)
7. Far Cry 2 (Ubisoft)
8. Mario Kart Wii (Nintendo)
9. Quantum of Solace (Activision Blizzard)
10. Sonic Unleashed (Sega)