There’s little doubt thatHorizon: Zero Dawnis one of Sony’s biggest first party titles this year, not only coming from one of its biggest development studios, but backed by a huge marketing budget and already large install base as well. Even facing down the threat of a new console release with the Nintendo Switch and the near perfect scores forThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,Horizon: Zero Dawnnow stands as Sony’s biggest new franchise launch for the PlayStation 4.
According to a weekly sales chart put out in the UK,Horizon: Zero Dawnalso represents the biggest launch of the year so far and captures the new IP record previously held by thedivisive space exploration titleNo Man’s Sky.The accolades don’t stop there however asHorizonalso represents the biggest PlayStation 4 launch the console has seen sinceUncharted 4: A Thief’s Endreleased last spring. The previous chart topper,For Honor,fell to number 5 for the week.
Here’s the full top 10 list for the previous week:
While it may not have reached the top spot, Nintendo also had a very strong showing thanks to the newly released Switch console. Even with alaunch lineup many believed to be smaller than expected, Nintendo featured three games in the top 10, includingSuper Bomberman R,1-2 Switch, and led by none other thanThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. According to the data,78% of the sales for made for the Switchand a higher than expected 22% going to the now defunct Wii U. Even with the impressive day one numbers,The Wind WakerandTwilight Princessremain bigger launches overall for the franchise.
If Sony’s wasthinking of turning this game into a franchise, these numbers will no doubt help make that a reality. Thanks to extremely positive critical reviews, strong sales have no doubt helped lead to word of mouth among consumers making it even more likely that big things are in store for this game. The days ofSony worrying about the game’s protagonistnegatively impacting sales all but seem to have dissipated.
Are you surprised to see Aloy take down Link in their head to head launch battle? Let us know your thoughts below in the comments.
