Just last week we reported that Gears of War 3 was the fastest-selling game of 2011 in its first week of release. Just six days later, there’s a new record-holder in the market — and it’s a worldwide hit.
As many predicted, the latest installment of Electronic Arts’ soccer (ahem, football) franchise, FIFA 12, has supplanted Gears of War 3 as the highest-selling game of 2011 in its first week of release. Selling over 3.2 million units between September 27 and October 2, the game also set a record for the highest first-week sales of any sports game ever made.
“FIFA 12 is a stunning achievement by our team at EA Canada,” said Andrew Wilson, Executive Vice-President of EA Sports in an official statement. “The massive FIFA online community has overwhelmingly connected to the new live services in the game, including EA SPORTS Football Club, and we intend to keep them engaged all season long as FIFA 12 follows the heartbeat of the football season.”
In its statement about the FIFA 12 launch, EA also noted that the latest installment’s sales are up 23 percent over FIFA 11, and that FIFA 12 for the iPhone and iPad has sold 879,000 units so far. The statement goes on to report that October 1 also set a record for online gaming with EA Sports titles, as more than 10 million players competed in EA Sports sessions (including nearly eight million FIFA 12 matches).
