Far Cry 5 released over a month ago. While some sales data for video game releases is publicly available, details are often kept private by publishers and retailers. It was already well known that Far Cry 5’s launch was a huge success. Now, Ubisoft has shared some new details that shed light on the true scale of that success.
When Far Cry 5 released, it quickly beat the records of its predecessors. The game became the fastest-selling Far Cry title in the series’ history. Its launch week sales were more than double that of the previous title. In fact, its digital sales alone outstripped those of Far Cry Primal by over 500%. The game was so successful that it became the best-selling game in the month of March, despite releasing on the 27th and having only a few days to accrue sales.
Those facts paint a picture of Far Cry 5’s success. However, a lot of the details of that picture are still foggy. Now, new details released by Ubisoft are helping to clear things up. Firstly, the total profit – Far Cry 5 made over $310 million in its launch week. As noted by Forbes, Marvel’s Black Panther made around $292 million in its first week at the domestic box office.
Black Panther had Marvel’s highest-grossing first week ever, and yet the enormously successful film actually made around $18 million less than Ubisoft’s latest title. Granted, Black Panther made much more money globally in its launch week. Nevertheless, that a video game is coming close to the sales of a record-breaking movie certainly lends credence to Christopher Judge’s recent statements that the perception of video games is changing for the better amongst actors.
In addition, Ubisoft revealed that over 50% of Far Cry 5’s sales were digital. That fact goes a long way to explaining why the game’s digital sales exceeded those of Far Cry Primal by over 500%. The ratio of digital sales to physical sales has been steadily swinging towards digital for years now, but this is a strong indication that the market will continue to trend towards digital purchasing.