Mass Effect: Andromeda is one of the most anticipated game releases this year, and despite the game facing mixed reviews from critics, it has debuted as the UK’s No. 1 game and has had the third best launch week for the franchise, according to a report by VG247. This would be really great news if the series wasn’t comprised of just four games.
Mass Effect: Andromeda did manage to come in as the UK’s No. 1, same as Mass Effect 2 and 3, and has also experienced the third biggest launch this year, right after Ghost Recon: Wildlands and Horizon Zero Dawn. However, sales have still fallen short of the last two games in the action role-playing series. Console sales made up the majority of the revenue, with 55% on the PlayStation 4 and 41% on Xbox One.
With the exception of the first Mass Effect game, which only got as far as No. 12 during its launch week back in 2007, the series has a reputation for stellar launch sales. Mass Effect 2 sold more than 2 million copies worldwide during its first week of release, and became the second best-selling game of January 2010 despite being released at the end of that month. Mass Effect 3 sold more than 3.5 million copies during its debut month alone, back in March 2012.
The diminished sales for Mass Effect: Andromeda could be attributed to the mixed reception the game received from some critics, with some feeling that the game is a disappointment and took several steps back from what was a very progressive series. It could also be that some fans just aren’t interested in a non-Shepard related story or that its just been too long since the last game for fans to get excited about a new installment. Whatever the reason, its still doing fairly well in sales, just not as good as it could be.