14 DAY TRIAL // PC gaming has two sides when it comes to sales charts, as you can either choose to follow the NPD charts, which only feature retail sales, or go for services like Steam of Direct2Drive, which can't be ignored, due to the increasing popularity of digital downloads.
But one very big factor in terms of digital services is the fact that price cuts or promotions can easily be made for customers. That is why this week we're seeing some pretty unusual titles present in the Steam and Direct2Drive charts, like Assassin's Creed or Defense Grid: The Awakening, as opposed to Empire: Total War, which dominates the NPD data.
Strategy titles dominate yet again the lower places, with fan favorites Dawn of War II, Empire: Total War and Red Alert 3: Uprising still managing decent sales on the PC platform, which quite a few developers abandoned in the past due to the low sales and high piracy rate.
Here are the full charts, courtesy of Kotaku:
NPD Sales Charts March 8-14
1. Empire: Total War 2. Wrath of the Lich King 3. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe 4. Dawn of War II 5. World Of Warcraft Battle Chest 6. World Of Warcraft 7. The Sims 2 Apartment Life 8. Spore 9. Mystery Case Files: Return to Ravenhearst 10. Red Alert 3
Steam Sales Charts As Of March 24
1. Assassin's Creed 2. Left 4 Dead 3. Empire: Total War 4. Counter-Strike Source 5. Dawn of War II 6. HAWX 7. Team Fortress 2 8. The Orange Box 9. Unreal Tournament III Black 10. Oddworld Pack
Direct2Drive Charts March 9-15
1. Defense Grid: The Awakening 2. Red Alert 3: Uprising 3. HAWX 4. Men Of War 5. Empire: Total War 6. Rome: Total War Gold Edition 7. Dawn of War II 8. The Path 9. World in Conflict: Soviet Assault Expansion 10. FINAL FANTASY XI Vana'diel Collection 2008
With more sales coming this week for Ubisoft titles, we can clearly guess that next week's Steam tops will be filled with games from the French publisher. Hopefully other titles will also sneak up the charts in the next seven days.