14 DAY TRIAL // The PC gaming market has been doomed by a lot of analysts because it is filled with piracy, which hurts every company that brings its games to the old platform, still the most popular one in the world. But the weekly PC sales charts just go to prove that things are still going great for a lot of companies that have made this decision.
This week was a very weird one, as there have been a lot of discounts and promotions made on digital distribution networks like Steam of Direct2Drive, but the retail charts from the NPD group reveal once more that World of Warcraft and The Sims are two forces that can't be stopped very easily.
Numbers from retail stores across North America show that not even the latest Survival Pack released for Left 4 Dead made a very big impact, as it holds the number four spot, behind the ever so popular WoW and Sims. Behind it are three more titles that don't belong to Blizzard or Maxis, in the form of Empire: Total War, Demigod and Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor.
Steam charts on the other hand, reveal that the weekend when Left 4 Dead was not only free but also saw its price cut made a huge impact, as the zombie shooter is once more in the number one spot. A nice surprise is Killing Floor, a game that managed to secure the second spot even though it has made it only through pre-orders, as it will appear next week. On the last place of the podium we can find HAWX, as it also received a pretty big discount last week.
Direct2Drive numbers reveal that the Mysteries of Westgate expansion to Neverwinter Nights 2 was extremely anticipated by fans, as it has secured the number one spot. Two Ubisoft titles complete the podium, as discounts made to both Assassin's Creed and Far Cry 2 have made a lot of users buy them. Final Fantasy XI, after being the best-selling game for a few weeks, is now on fifth place, still going quite strong.
NPD Sales Charts April 19-25
1. WoW: Wrath of the Lich King 2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe 3. WoW Battle Chest 4. Left 4 Dead 5. Empire: Total War 6. Demigod 7. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor 8. World Of Warcraft 9. Spore 10. The Sims 2 Apartment Life
Steam Charts As Of May 4
1. Left 4 Dead 2. Killing Floor 3. HAWX 4. Counter-Strike Source 5. Empire: Total War 6. Velvet Assassin 7. Dawn of War II 8. King's Bounty: The Legend 9. The Orange Box 10. Fallout 3
Direct2Drive Charts April 26 - May 2
1. Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate 2. Assassin's Creed Director's Cut 3. Far Cry 2 w/ Fortunes Pack Bundle 4. Call of Juarez 5. FINAL FANTASY XI 6. Civilization 4 7. DCS: Black Shark 8. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas 2 9. Cryostasis 10. Rome: Total War Gold Edition
All in all, it was a good week for PC gaming, as once more a lot of games have sold quite well, showing that consoles won't gain the upper hand on the PC just yet.