EA Sports FC 24 is the UK’s Second-Biggest Physical Launch of the Year

EA’s yearly football franchise may have changed its name from FIFA to EA Sports FC this year, though as expected, it has had little impact on the game’s sales. As per data for weekly physical sales in the UK released by the Gfk (shared by GamesIndustry’s Christopher Dring on Twitter), EA Sports FC 24 is the UK’s second-biggest physical launch of the year, behind only The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, and ahead of Hogwarts Legacy.

There are some caveats though. Its physical launch sales are 30% down as compared to last year’s FIFA 23, which, according to Dring, is in line with EA’s expectations of “short-term impact” on sales due to the aforementioned rebrand. On the other hand, EA Sports FC 24’s Nintendo Switch version has seen a “slight” increase in initial physical sales compared to last year’s game, what with it being an updated version of the title, as opposed to the Legacy Editions that have released for the Switch in previous years.

In fact, the Nintendo Switch version of the football sim title is the only version out of all platforms to have seen a year-on-year growth in physical launch sales. It accounts for 9% of the game’s total physical sales in the UK.

In our review of EA Sports FC 24, we gave it a score of 6/10, saying, “The on-pitch gameplay in FC 24 remains as fun as ever, but its failure to make any real, meaningful changes is a real disappointment, especially because almost none of the few changes it does make come anywhere close to sticking the landing.” Read the full review through here.

EA Sports FC 24 is available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Physical launch sales of EA Sports FC in the UK are down 30% over last year’s FIFA 23. EA had expected some short-term impact as a result of the rebrand

— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) October 1, 2023

In terms of physical versions… UK launch sales of EA Sports FC on Switch are up (slightly) compared to the launch of FIFA 23. It’s the only platform that has posted a sales improvement year-on-year. I wonder why? (I know why)

— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) October 1, 2023

EA Sports FC’s physical launch in the UK is the second highest of the year, behind Zelda but ahead of Hogwarts Legacy

— Christopher Dring (@Chris_Dring) October 1, 2023