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 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.