Revenue from retail sales dropped nearly $60 million from $970 million in 2006 to $910.7 million in 2007. That doesn�t encompass revenue from subscriptions from MMOs, which continue to be a major chunk of the PC market. As for what the direct cause of the drop was, I would imagine it�s a combination of increased piracy and a larger usage of digital distribution as outlets like Steam become the norm for many PC gamers.
- World Of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade (Vivendi) - 2.25 million
- World Of Warcraft (Vivendi) - 914,000
- The Sims 2: Seasons Expansion Pack (Electronic Arts) - 433,000
- Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Activision) - 383,000
- Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars (Electronic Arts) - 343,000
- Sim City 4 Deluxe (Electronic Arts) - 284,000
- The Sims 2 (Electronic Arts) - 281,000
- The Sims 2: Bon Voyage Expansion Pack (Electronic Arts) - 271,000
- Age Of Empires III (Microsoft) - 259,000
- The Sims 2: Pets Expansion Pack (Electronic Arts) - 236,000
It�s no surprise to see World of Warcraft and The Sims dominate the list; I�d expect nothing different in 2008. There�s not much room for games that don�t belong to either of those series to make the list, but of the four that did, it�s somewhat odd to see Age of Empires III sell just over a quarter million units.
I really wouldn�t put much stock in these numbers for all of the aforementioned reasons. Whether or not PC gaming is struggling certainly cannot be ascertained from these figures, so don�t go crazy about how you just invested in a new 8800 when PC gaming is about to go down the toilet.
Which I�d like to think it isn�t.
via Gamasutra & Gaming Today
