UK Sales Charts: Mafia III Crushes Predecessor's Sales Record Like Candy

An offer you couldn't refuse

by Sammy Barker Mon 10th Oct 2016

Perhaps the Vinnie Jones promotion paid off after all, as Mafia III has soared to near the top of the UK sales charts, registering a 58.7 per cent improvement over its predecessor. Unsurprisingly with that kind of stat, the open world crime title secured the biggest launch week in the series' history thus far – and that's despite very few reviews being available online. Kudos to 2K Games there.

Unfortunately for Lincoln Clay and crew, the caper couldn't dethrone FIFA 17, which maintained its position at the top. Grand Theft Auto V and Rocket League both boosted their places to pad out the top five, while other evergreens such as Fallout 4 and Minecraft re-entered the top ten. Elsewhere, motorcycle sim RIDE 2 debuted in 20th position.

It'll be interesting to see how PlayStation VR can affect the charts next time out. Obviously there are a dozen or so titles for Sony's virtual reality headset releasing at retail, but we're anticipating most early adopters will plump up for the PlayStation Store versions purely for convenience. Still, it should prove an interesting chart nonetheless.

UK Sales Charts: Week Ending 8th October, 2016

FIFA 17
Mafia III
Forza Horizon 3
Grand Theft Auto V
Rocket League
BioShock: The Collection
XCOM 2
PES 2017: Pro Evolution Soccer
Fallout 4
Minecraft: Xbox Edition

[source chart-track.co.uk]

As the Editor of Push Square, Sammy has over 15 years of experience analysing the world of PlayStation, from PS3 through PS5 and everything in between. He’s an expert on PS Studios and industry matters, as well as sports games and simulators. He also enjoys RPGs when he has the time to dedicate to them, and is a bit of a gacha whale.

1
viciousarcanum
Mon 10th Oct 2016

This was obvious with the massive marketing push.

2
Victor_Meldrew
Mon 10th Oct 2016

@viciousarcanum yeah, its been pretty huge.
Unfortunately the game seems a little old hat and un-inventive. The style and setting are great and some of the mechanics also seem good but it's still too much like GTA for me, not necessarily a bad thing but I'll probably pass, pending reviews.

3
Xaessya
Mon 10th Oct 2016

4
get2sammyb
Mon 10th Oct 2016

@Xaessya

5
johnny30
Mon 10th Oct 2016

Loving the game, almost everything has improved , everyone comparing it to GTA but to me it's more like the godfather games. Only thing is the shooting hasn't really changed from Mafia 2,everything ekae has improved. The driving in mafia 2 was terrible but its better, thou the boats are terrible. One. IG plus is the music xd

6
AFCC
Mon 10th Oct 2016

@Xaessya that gif is all over now xD

I'm happy for Mafia, despite actually thinking that it's a very repetitive game (and I won't buy it for more than 25 euros) and knowing it has a bad PC port( don't care about pc but we know the uproar that causes)!

7
Dichotomy
Mon 10th Oct 2016

I find it a bit sad it has sold so well, it shows how little people value reviews any more. I've said on another site that I'd be wary buying it before its been out a few days as at least one of two things will probably be true - it will be buggy or it will seem polished for a few hours play and then the cracks will show. It seems both things are true from what I've read after release day. Much like No Man's Sky, I'm giving this one a miss.

8
Splat
Mon 10th Oct 2016

I mean reviews are important but they aren't the end all be all. I have enjoyed many games that got bad reviews. I have also hated games that got great reviews.

9
Dichotomy
Mon 10th Oct 2016

@JoeBlogs I can only assume that people are suckers for hype since there have been so many complaints about the state games launch in from people who pre-ordered, yet they still do it. If you are willing to wait a week though, with a combination of reviews and gameplay footage on sites like Youtube it is very easy to figure out if a game is for you without spending a penny.

I've gone the other way and usually wait for a GotY edition of something I'd like to play, that way I get a fully patched game with all the content on a disc, something that will still work should Sony's servers ever be taken down. As you say, there are so many games so what's the rush

10
Dodoo
Mon 10th Oct 2016

Good to see Mafia doing well but it'll probably be outsold by GTA5 next week!

11
bbq_boy
Mon 10th Oct 2016

Blimey GTA still up there!! Come on Sony/Rockstar. ... you know a GTA PSVR will make VR mainstream! Mainstream!! Closely followed with COD, FIFA, Battlefront, Watchdogs 2! Mass effect VR! Woot. No man's sky should definitely be updated in VR for FREE as a thank you to all the nightmares US gamers have had to put up with! Plus seeing each others characters in co-op/multiplayer full size would be quite an awesome experience lol!!