FIFA 21 has reportedly sold more digital copies than physical ones at launch

FIFA 21’s digital launch sales are the highest in the franchise’s history in the U.K., according to a report by Gamesindusty.biz. But physical sales are reportedly down 42 percent, even though FIFA has traditionally sold more physical copies than digital.

Download launch sales of the new FIFA title have reportedly increased 31 percent when compared to last year’s FIFA 20. The increase in digital sales won’t compensate for the lackluster performance in physical sales, though.

FIFA 21 still ended up being one of the most sold games on the GfK Top 10 chart as of Oct. 10. Fans might be waiting to buy FIFA 21 in November when the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S launch, though, so the game’s sales figures could still go up. EA is offering a free upgrade for the next-gen consoles, but some players might not know about that.

FIFA 21 was launched on Oct. 6 and is available for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X, Xbox X One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. Nintendo Switch users haven’t bought the game, however. Physical sales in the U.K. on the Switch were only at two percent, while the PS4 was at 62 percent and Xbox One at 36 percent.

This can be explained by EA’s marketing material for FIFA 21 on the Switch, which read “FIFA 21 Legacy Edition will feature the same gameplay innovation from FIFA 20 without any new development or significant enhancements.” So Switch users would basically have the same game as FIFA 20.