Software Sales Monitor: Market drops 35%

The UK games retail market had a tough start to the New Year. Overall revenue generated for week one stood at 20.9m – a dip of 34.9 per cent year-on-year or 57 per cent over the week prior.

Just shy of 1m boxed copies were sold last week, representing a 55 per cent week-on-week fall.

FIFA 12 scored a hat-trick at the top of the sales charts with its third consecutive No.1, while another EA blockbuster Battlefield 3 moved to No.2 above Modern Warfare 3. Zumba Fitness jumped its way from No.19 to No.6.

Although there are only a small number of titles out today such as 3DS puzzler Crush3D from Sega, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Plenty of games arrive in February including Soul Calibur V, Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Metal Gear Solid HD Collection.