14 DAY TRIAL // PC gaming has been doomed by quite a lot of developers and industry specialists over the recent few years, but despite such gloomy forecasts, it has managed to stay alive and still generates a very nice income for companies that have brought their titles to it.
Among them, as showed by the weekly retail sales charts from the NPD Group, MMORPGs like World of Warcraft or simulators such as Maxis' Sims series of video games brought in a lot of money. The last week also saw a very interesting turn of events, as the two RTS titles that had been dominating the chart, Empire: Total War and Dawn of War II, were dethroned by the latest expansion to WoW, Wrath of the Lich King. Also, Brothers in Arms: Hell's Highway, which is a pretty old title, sold pretty well, managing to arrive on the tenth place in the last week.
Steam charts, however, show us once again why it is preferred by hardcore gamers in favor of the traditional store or other networks. High quality titles such as Left 4 Dead, The Orange Box, Team Fotress 2, Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare or the latest RTS titles Empire: Total War and Dawn of War II dominate it. Also, Tomb Raider: Anniversary seems to be enjoying a surge in popularity, as quite a lot of Steam users have downloaded it as of April 7.
Last but not least, the Direct2Drive charts showcase some very shocking results, with a wide variety of titles occupying the ten spots. Square Enix's old MMORPG Final Fantasy XI dominates Direct2Drive sales through its Vana'diel Collection 2008, while BattleForge and Space Siege are on the second and third place. Fallout 3 is still fighting the good fight, as it proves that people are still fascinated by post-apocalyptic RPG titles.
Here are the official PC Sales charts:
NPD Sales Charts March 22-28
1. Wrath of the Lich King 2. Empire: Total War 3. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe 4. WoW: Battle Chest 5. 40,000: Dawn Of War II 6. Spore 7. Mystery Case Files: Return To Ravenhearst 8. World Of Warcraft 9. The Sims 2 Apartment Life 10. Brothers In Arms: Hell's Highway
Steam Charts as of April 7
1. Left 4 Dead 2. Counter-Strike Source 3. Empire: Total War 4. Dawn of War II 5. The Orange Box 6. Fallout 3 7. Team Fortress 2 8. Call of Duty 4 9. Tomb Raider: Anniversary 10. Call of Duty: World At War Direct2Drive Charts Mar 29 - Apr 4
1. Final Fantasy XI Vana'diel Collection 2008 2. Battleforge 3. Space Siege 4. Rome: Total War Gold Collection 5. Fallout 3 6. Men of War 7. Empire: Total War 8. C&C Red Alert 3: Uprising 9. Drakensang: The Dark Eye 10. The Sims 2: Double Deluxe.
All in all, some interesting and varied results, which only prove that the PC market is alive and kicking and will still generate big profits for companies that ship out solid games.