After the release of the latest weekly UK chart today, it was estimated that Watch Dogs 2 sold roughly 80,000 copies – 300,000 less than the first Watch Dogs. In response to this slow start for Watch Dogs 2, Ubisoft issued a statement to MCV saying they expect sales in week 2 and week 3 to be higher than average, and they’re confident millions of people will end up playing the game:
We’re incredibly happy with critics’ and players’ very positive reception of Watch Dogs 2, which should bolster support for the long-term success of the game. It is true that first-day and first-week sales for a number of big games, including Watch Dogs 2 and titles from our competitors, are comparatively lower than previous versions in previous years.
However, we expect both week-two and week-three sales to be above traditional sales patterns. There is a trend toward games, especially high-quality games, having stronger and longer ‘tails’ as favorable reviews and word of mouth spread. Watch Dogs 2 is already considered a tremendous addition to the open-world action adventure series and we’re confident that millions of players are going to love it.
Those “big games” Ubisoft mentioned in their statement include Dishonored 2, Titanfall 2, and Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. FIFA 17, however, finished 16% ahead of FIFA 16 in its first week.
Although Ubisoft said last week that the seamless multiplayer could be activated “as soon as this weekend,” it still remains offline.
As of July 2014, the original Watch Dogs has shipped nine million units.
[Source: MCV]
