EA FC 24 was UK's best-selling game in 2023

EA FC 24 was the best-selling video game in the UK last year, according to new figures.

Previously known as Fifa, the Electronic Arts (EA) football series ditched the sport's governing body's name after almost 30 years.

It prompted questions about whether sales would suffer.

But the Digital Entertainment and Retail Association (ERA) said the latest title sold 2.25m copies in the UK last year.

It said that was only slightly below Fifa 23, which sold 2.39m copies in 2022, and was released close to the winter men's World Cup.

EA FC 24 received a "generally favourable" response on review aggregator Metacritic, with an average score of 73 out of 100.

It has a user score of just 2.3 out of 10 on the site, but it's been suggested that's down to a review-bombing campaign, with hundred of players leaving negative remarks.

Experts previously told the BBC that Fifa's success owed a lot to the deals allowing it to use player's faces and accurate replica kits.

And EA made a big point of stressing that it had kept hold of those for its rebranded title, making itself the only game in town if you wanted to play as your footballing idol.

Elsewhere, ERA said Hogwarts Legacy was the second-best selling game in the UK, followed by Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom was in ninth place, despite Nintendo keeping digital sales data secret, and Diablo 4 was 10th.

According to ERA, gaming sales increased by 2.9% in 2023, with digital purchases accounting for about 90% of revenue.

It said physical games sales fell again by 4.4%, taking in £495.0m of the £4.7bn total.

CEO Kim Bayley said gaming "continued to show its ability to connect with people" last year, and despite the modest growth the industry "remains a leviathan".

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