"FIFA 10" outperformed last year's "FIFA 09" and dethroned "Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas" in its first week on the UK sales charts. The EA Sports release, which enjoys a far bigger following on the east side of the Atlantic than its sister franchise "Madden NFL," knocked of "San Andreas" as the number two first-week performer of all time in the UK, placing second only to "GTA IV."
The latest incarnation of EA's perennial soccer series beat its 2009 predecessor by 48 percent in sales, according to GamesIndustry.biz. That was good enough to earn a number one ranking for the week, with "Professor Layton and Pandora's Box" and "Halo 3: ODST" following at two and three, respectively.
"Madden NFL 10," by contrast, appeared at the number eight slot during its August debut week in the UK. Though "Madden" reportedly sold 1.9 million units in its first month, that number was considerably less than what the series sold in 2009.
That means EA should be fairly pleased with the new UK bar set by "FIFA 10," particularly in a down year for the economy at large. North American soccer fans -- and the U.S. sales charts -- will have to wait until October 20 to see how well it performs on this side of the pond.
Do you have high expectations for "FIFA 10"? Have you picked up a copy in Europe yet and have an opinion on how well is compares to "FIFA 09"? Share your thoughts in the comment section below.