We have a brand new number one this week, as Capcom’s Monster Hunter Rise inevitably debuted in the top spot of the UK Charts. The fantasy adventure, which has already sold an amazing four million copies worldwide, leads a streak of Top Ten Switch dominance.
The news of Monster Hunter Rise‘s success has been somewhat eclipsed, however, by a ridiculous sales spike for Nintendo’s Super Mario 3D All-Stars. As reported by GamesIndustry.biz, the retro compendium saw its sales boosted by 276% last week, no doubt in anticipation of the title’s de-listing, scheduled for tomorrow, March 31. The imminent removal of the title, heavily promoted by Nintendo, led to a rush of panic-buying, ultimately reinstalling the title in the number two spot. What a fucking surprise.
The rest of the Top Ten is almost entirely Switch releases, with showings from Animal Crossing: New Horizons, Luigi’s Mansion 3, Super Mario Odyssey, Super Mario 3D World + Bowser’s Fury, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe. Almost every Mario or Mario-adjacent Switch release saw a sales increase this week, with only Electronic Arts’ soccer sim FIFA 21 offering a combo breaker at number eight. Last week’s number one, Hades, has dropped out of the Top Ten entirely.
Nintendo has been sent a clear message on how to fuel a global sales injection on not just one, but multiple releases at relatively short notice. As a result, we can probably expect The Big N, and perhaps even other publishers, to indulge in more Walt Disney-style “vaulting” antics in future.
Source: Destructoid UK Charts: Super Mario 3D All-Stars sales spike 276% ahead of store removal