Titanfall 2 disappoints as Skyrim and Battlefield 1 impress in UK charts

Battlefield 1 and the remastered version of Skyrim impressed at UK retail last week, at the expense of Titanfall 2.

Titanfall 2's launch sales (physical data only via GfK) are well below the ones achieved by its predecessor, which arrived in March 2013 on Xbox platforms and PC only. In fact, the game's launch sales are barely a quarter of the ones achieved by its original - despite the fact that this sequel has the added benefit of launching on PS4. Titanfall 2 debuts at No.4 in the GfK Top 10, while the original reached No.1.

The title received positive critical reviews, which raises questions regarding its launch strategy. Titanfall 2 has been sandwiched in-between two of the biggest first person shooter launches of the year (Battlefield 1 and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare), which will no doubt have had a significant detrimental impact upon its performance.

Yet it's otherwise a positive week for UK physical game sales. Battlefield 1 has impressed in its second week on shelves, with sales dipping just 39 percent week-on-week. It's not unusual for core game sales to fall by 70 to 80 percent in the second week, and Battlefield has historically outperformed the market in this regard. Both Battlefield 3 and 4 saw second week sales declines of 54 per cent, which makes that 39 percent dip even more impressive. As a result, Battlefield 1 retains its position at the top of the charts.

However, the stand-out performer of the week has to be Skyrim Special Edition at No.2. The Bethesda game may be a visually improved version of the 2011 original (plus DLC), but its nonetheless the best-selling new game in the charts this week. It is also the second fastest-selling Elder Scrolls game ever released (only beaten by the original Skyrim).

There are a few other interesting little elements in the charts this week. Farming Simulator 17, which received a TV advertising campaign in the UK, reached No.5 in the charts and enjoyed a sales jump of 54 percent on PS4 and 32 percent on Xbox One over its predecessor, Farming Simulator 15 (Farming Simulator 16 was only released physically on Vita).

There's a Top Ten placement for Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, which is a brand that's been steadily growing in the UK, while Square Enix's World of Final Fantasy just missed out at No.11.

Just Dance 2017 also makes an appearance at No.26. The series has waned commercially down the years and remains most popular on Nintendo platforms. 60 percent of the title's sales came on Nintendo consoles - 44 percent on the original Wii.