It seems that despite the momentous occasion that was the release of Starfield on 6 September 2023 – the first new Bethesda single-player RPG to be released since Fallout 4 in 2015 – the markets in Australia and New Zealand were looking forward to something else during the week of 4-10 September 2023: the next annual release of NBA 2K.
NBA 2K24 was released two days later than Starfield on 8 September 2023, but beat Starfield to the top spot on the sales charts in both Australia and New Zealand. It’s likely the early access release of Starfield put a dent in these specific charts, as those who purchased the premium edition of the game received game access on 31 August 2023.
Elsewhere on the charts, it’s incredibly heartening to see the spectacular and often overlooked Titanfall 2 take third place on the game sales charts in both countries. The game was released in August 2016 during a very packed release schedule, and was presumed to have underperformed according to EA’s lofty expectations for the title, despite a genre-leading single-player campaign and a thrilling competitive multiplayer mode featuring mecha piloting and agile, fast-paced shooting action (which would later inform the design of Respawn’s Apex Legends).
Respawn Entertainment appears to have recently fixed a long-running multiplayer server issue with the five-year-old game, meaning it has enjoyed a very healthy boost to its multiplayer community in recent weeks. The player base on PC via Steam has almost reached an all-time high in September 2023, according to data by Steam Charts. The sales are likely also helped by deep discounts on the game at various stores.
The following ANZ Game Charts data comes courtesy of IGEA and GSD.
Australian Game Sales Charts – 4-10 September 2023
1 | NBA 2K24 | Take 2 |
2 | STARFIELD | Bethesda Softworks |
3 | TITANFALL 2 | Electronic Arts |
4 | RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 | Take 2 |
5 | GRAND THEFT AUTO V | Take 2 |
6 | TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX SIEGE | Ubisoft |
7 | NEED FOR SPEED: HEAT | Electronic Arts |
8 | ARMORED CORE VI: FIRES OF RUBICON | Bandai Namco Entertainment |
9 | MINECRAFT: | Mojang |
10 | NEW TALES FROM THE BORDERLANDS | Take 2 |
New Zealand Game Sales Charts – 4-9 September 2023
1 | NBA 2K24 | Take 2 |
2 | STARFIELD | Bethesda Softworks |
3 | TITANFALL 2 | Electronic Arts |
4 | RED DEAD REDEMPTION 2 | Take 2 |
5 | GRAND THEFT AUTO V | Take 2 |
6 | NEED FOR SPEED: HEAT | Electronic Arts |
7 | TOM CLANCY’S RAINBOW SIX SIEGE | Ubisoft |
8 | RUGBY 22 | Nacon |
9 | HOGWARTS LEGACY | Warner Bros. Interactive |
10 | SID MEIER’S CIVILIZATION VI | Take 2 |