When some suggested that this may be the year that Pro Evolution Soccer recaptures it's crown from FIFA, nobody suggested that it would be reflected in the sales figures.
Despite the fact that PES 2017 was the best game that the series has produced since PES 6 a decade ago, it was blatantly obvious that no matter how good it was, FIFA was still going to wipe the floor with it when it came to sales.
SEE ALSO: The Names Of Premier League And La Liga Teams In PES 2017 Are Why It Won't Outsell FIFA
We covered the reasons why, when discussing the problems that PES faces this year, but the fact that FIFA 17 is actually a big improvement on last year's game would certainly not have helped.
But that said, having played the new Pro Evo and been really, really impressed with it, we did not expect the figures to be this gruesome.
According to reports, FIFA outsold PES this year by more than 40:1 in the first week, and FIFA 17 is the best selling version of the game since FIFA 13.
Remember how every year everyone says that this could be the year PES beats FIFA?
FIFA 17 first week sales >40x more than PES in the UK.— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) October 3, 2016
Yes. That is more than 40x more.
FIFA 17 sold over 1.1 million units in its first week in the UK.
Meanwhile PES 2017 can't hit 50k.— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) October 3, 2016
Oh and FIFA17 had a record launch, beating the prior record set by FIFA13 which went on to sell well over 15m worldwide
PES sales down YoY— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) October 3, 2016
Ouch.
No, really, that physically hurts. PES 2017 is a wonderful football game.
That's not to say FIFA 17 isn't as good, in fact, early signs to suggest that this is truly the best FIFA game in years, but the strides that PES has made appear to have been completely overlooked. That said, we saw it coming, and to be totally honest, we haven't touched PES since FIFA 17 came out here in the office.
It seems that there is no stopping the FIFA juggernaut for all the strides it's competitors make.
