Launch sales of Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag and Battlefield 4 have seen a decline on their predecessors, reports MCV.
Ubisoft’s pirate-themed adventure failed to match opening performance of Assassin’s Creed III, with year-on-year sales down 60 per cent. Meanwhile, Battlefield 4 sales were down 69 per cent on its predecessor, which was released in October 2011.
It seems both franchises weren’t the only major IPs to experience a decline however, as FIFA 14 is also reported to have been down 24 per cent on 2012’s FIFA 13. MCV also claims that Call of Duty: Ghosts, launched earlier this week, is expected to have sold less at launch than last year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops II.
Of course, many industry commentators have predicted a drop-off in sales due to the impending launch of next-generation home consoles.
"We’ve never had two must-have consoles launched so close together," said GfK Chart-Track’s Dorian Bloch. "The unquantifiable question is, how many consumers are waiting on these franchises for a few more weeks?
"How many PS4s and Xbox Ones will have sold by Christmas? I would say, let the dust settle on 2013 and then we will know more."
Click on the following links to read our reviews of the following games: Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag, Battlefield 4, Call of Duty: Ghosts and FIFA 14.