npd-group posts

The only way the public can get info about sales about PC games in US retail stores is from the folks at the NPD Group and this week the company has revealed that they will no longer be giving out their top 10 PC game sales on a weekly basis.

Shacknews reports that while the NPD Group gave no reason for the change in policy they did state that the company will still provide a monthly sales list for PC game retail sales. That mean we will be putting more of an emphasis on online weekly sales lists such as those offered by Steam and Direct2Drive. However keep in mind that their lists tend to have games that pop up via one time price cuts and as such are not totally accurate over a long time period.

We expected The Sims 3 to be on top of its first week on the NPD Group's weekly top 10 best selling PC games list and we were not dissapointed. Both the regular people sim game from EA and the collector's edition were number one and two, respectively, on the list for sales the week ending June 6.

One other interesting addition; apparently not every owner of Fallout 3 downloaded the first two mini-expansions. The retail release of Operation Anchorage and The Pitt showed up at number 10 on the list.

1. The Sims 3 - Electronic Arts
2. The Sims 3 Collector's Edition - Electronic Arts
3. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe - Electronic Arts
4. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard
5. World Of Warcraft Battle Chest - Blizzard
6. Spore - Electronic Arts
7. Real Deal Slots Adventure - Phantom EFX
8. World Of Warcraft - Blizzard
9. Empire: Total War - Creative Assembly/Sega
10. Fallout 3 Operation Anchorage & The Pitt - Bethesda Softworks

While we are firmly in June, the NPD Group has gone ahead and set out their top 20 best selling PC games in the US for the month of May. As you can see there's a lot of familar games in the top 20. In fact not one of the games listed was released in May. That will likely change for June with The Sims 3 and possibly other titles.

Blizzard took seven out of the top 20 slots for the May list and three of the top five, including the number one slot for the MMO expansion World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King.

1. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard
2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe - Electronic Arts
3. World of Warcraft Battle Chest - Blizzard
4. World of Warcraft - Blizzard
5. Empire: Total War - Creative Assembly/Sega
6. Spore - Electronic Arts
7. Left 4 Dead - Valve
8. The Sims 2 Apartment Life - Electronic Arts
9. Fallout Trilogy - Interplay
10. StarCraft: Battle Chest - Blizzard
11. World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade - Blizzard
12. Demigod - Gas Powered Games/Stardock
13. Real Deal Slots Adventure - Phantom EFX
14. The SimCity Box - Electronic Arts
15. Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks
16. Diablo Battle Chest - Blizzard
17. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition - Bethesda Softworks
18. Warcraft III Battle Chest - Blizzard
19. Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II - Relic/THQ
20. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor - Relic/THQ

The NPD Group's latest list of the top 10 best selling PC games in retail stores is, well, boring with little change from the previous week's list. The list below is for the week that ended on May 30. However we expect the next week to see The Sims 3 on top of the list in its debut week:

1. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe - Electronic Arts
2. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard
3. Spore - Electronic Arts
4. World Of Warcraft Battle Chest - Blizzard
5. World Of Warcraft - Blizzard
6. Empire: Total War - Creative Assembly/Sega
7. Reel Deal Slots Adventure - Phantom EFX
8. Civilization IV: The Complete Edition - Firaxis/2K Games
9. The Sims 2 Apartment Life - Electronic Arts
10. Left 4 Dead - Valve

Perhaps because of this week's launch of The Sims 3, the people sim's previous entry, The Sims 2 Double Deluxe, managed to outpace World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King to sit on top of the NPD Group's latest list of the top 10 best selling retail PC games in the US.

There's little else that's different in this week's list (for the week ending May 23) other than a n ppearance for the casual game Reel Deal Slots Adventure! by Phantom EFX (which was released over a month ago).

1. The Sims 2: Double Deluxe - Electronic Arts
2. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard
3. World of Warcraft - Blizzard
4. World of WarCraft: Battle Chest - Blizzard
5. Spore - Electronic Arts
6. Empire: Total War - Creative Assembly/Sega
7. Fallout Trilogy - Interplay
8. Left 4 Dead - Valve
9. Reel Deal Slots Adventure! - Phantom EFX
10. The Sims 2: Apartment Life - Electronic Arts

There's no stopping the Fallout franchise on the PC these days. For the past two weeks Interplay's Fallout Trilogy collection (featuring Fallout 1 and 2 plus Fallout Tactics) has appeared in the top 10 best selling PC games list (compiled, as always, by the NPD Group). This week the game remains on the list for a third straight week (at number 8) and Bethesda Softworks' revival, Fallout 3, reappears at number nine on the list.

Other than that the list is rather dull this week with no all new games appearing for the week that ended May 16:
1. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard
2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe - Electronic Arts
3. Empire: Total War - Creative Assembly/Sega
4. World Of Warcraft Battle Chest - Blizzard
5. Left 4 Dead - Valve
6. Spore - Electronic Arts
7. World Of Warcraft - Blizzard
8. Fallout Trilogy - Interplay
9. Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks
10. The Sims 2 Apartment Life - Electronic Arts

The NPD Group's latest list of the top 10 best selling PC games in US retail stores looks pretty familiar. That's because most of the games on the list (for the week ending May 9) were also on the list the previous week. The only major change is that Demigod, which had been on the list for the past three weeks, has moved out of the top 10 to be replaced by Bejeweled Twist. Also the Interplay classic PC game collection Fallout Trilogy remains on the list for the second week in a row.

1. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard
2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe - Electronic Arts
3. Left 4 Dead - Valve
4. World Of Warcraft - Blizzard
5. World Of Warcraft Battle Chest - Blizzard
6. Empire: Total War - Creative Assembly/Sega
7. Spore - Electronic Arts
8. Fallout Trilogy - Interplay
9. Bejeweled Twist - PopCap Games
10. The Sims 2 Apartment Life - Electronic Arts

It's good to be working at Blizzard. The massive PC game developer continues to rule as its various games sell, sell and sell more copies. The NPD Group's list of the top 20 best selling PC games for April 2009 (via info from US retail stores) shows that Blizzard-published titles took up a full third of the games on the list

Also of note are two strong debuts for Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor at number four and Demigod at number 6. And an ultra-cheap price point has put Illusion Softworks' 2004 released WWII shooter Hidden And Dangerous II at the number 20 slot.

1. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard
2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe - Electronic Arts
3. World Of Warcraft Battle Chest - Blizzard
4. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor - Relic/THQ
5. Empire: Total War - Creative Assembly/Sega
6. Left 4 Dead - Valve
7. Demigod - Gas Powered Games/Stardock
8. Diablo Battle Chest - Blizzard
9. The Sims 2 Apartment Life - Electronic Arts
10. Spore - Electronic Arts
11. Warcraft III Battle Chest - Blizzard
12. StarCraft Battle Chest - Blizzard
13. World Of Warcraft: Burning Crusade - Blizzard
14. Warhammer 40, 000: Dawn of War II - Relic/THQ
15. World Of Warcraft - Blizzard
16. The SimCity Box - Electronic Arts
17. Bejeweled Twist - PopCap Games
18. Fallout 3 - Bethesda Softworks
19. The Sims 2 Pets - Electronic Arts
20. Hidden & Dangerous 2 - Illusion Softworks/2K Games

The NPD Group's top 10 best selling PC games list (for sales of games at US retail stores) has a new edition for the week ending May 2 and in a bit of a surprise a new bundle of three classic Fallout games from its original developer Interplay made the list at number 7.

The $20 retail bundle called Fallout Trilogy contains the RPG titles Fallout 1 and Fallout 2 along with the spin-off game Fallout Tactics. It just goes to show even games made over 10 years ago can find new audiences. The rest of the list contains repeats from the last two weeks with World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King continuing to top the list.

1. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard
2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe - Electronic Arts
3. Left 4 Dead - Valve
4. World Of Warcraft Battle Chest - Blizzard
5. Empire: Total War - Creative Assembly/Sega
6. World Of Warcraft - Blizzard
7. Fallout Trilogy - Interplay
8. Demigod - Gas Powered Games/Stardock
9. The Sims 2 Apartment Life - Electronic Arts
10. Spore - Electronic Arts

There's not much new to report in this week's latest top 10 best selling PC game list from the always reliable NPD Group. For the week that ended April 25 it was mostly just games that were previously on the list shifting their positions around. No new or returning games showed up on this week's list and no game departed from last week's list.

1. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Blizzard
2. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe - Electronic Arts
3. World Of Warcraft Battle Chest - Blizzard
4. Left 4 Dead - Valve
5. Empire: Total War - Sega
6. Demigod - Gas Powered Games/Stardock
7. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor - Relic/THQ
8. World Of Warcraft - Blizzard
9. Spore - Electronic Arts
10. The Sims 2 Apartment Life - Electronic Arts