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Our friends at ChartTrack have sent over the exclusive monthly UK sales chart – and Halo 3 developer Bungie has jumped to the top of the listing.
The chart, which is exclusive to Develop and extrapolated from ChartTrack’s world-renowned sales data, is based on revenues generated during the past month by games sold at UK retail, the third largest software market in the world.
It’s no surprise to see Bungie lording it over the UK sales charts, given that Halo 3 is, according to publisher Microsoft, ‘entertainment launch of the decade’. The game has made $300m globally (and counting) – a chunk of which went through UK tills.
More impressive is that the studio’s single game managed to take an axe to Nintendo’s previous reign at the top. While the firm sits at number three in this month’s list, in the past year the format-holder has had a nearly untroubled run as the best-selling developer in the UK, its rule only challenged by Vicarious Visions (and its multi-SKU behemoth game Spider-Man 3) and Microsoft’s Turn 10 (with its best-selling Forza 2). Staple titles Brain Training on DS and Wii Play have boosted the firm as its consoles continue to enjoy a userbase explosion.
Elsewhere it’s clear that the spoils of the UK market are also being fought over – in the majority, anyway – by games for Nintendo and Microsoft formats.
Fifth ranked 2K Boston/2K Australia’s Xbox 360/PC game Bioshock continues to do the business – Midway has also benefitted from a 360 uplift, shooting up from 73 to ninth in the chart thanks to Stranglehold. EA LA did best from 360, however, shooting up to fourth thanks to sales of Medal of Honor: Airborne.
The Wii, meanwhile, has boosted work done by EA Redwood Shores (at 12th thanks to My Sims) and EA Salt Lake (at sixth following sales of Tiger Woods).
Of course, there’s still no denying the sheer brute force of a multi-platform approach – just ask EA Canada, which shoots up to second thanks to FIFA 08, developed for almost every major format available – PS2, PS3, PSP, 360, Wii and PC.
For the full chart, click here.
