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Nothing against the NPD Group, but if it’d like to stare us straight in the eyes (as opposed to peering directly into our upturned nostrils), it might want to consider duct-taping a few new tools onto its measuring stick – at least, as far as PC gaming is concerned.
The NPD Group recently released its 2008 PC game sales totals, wherein it concluded that our favorite platform is barely puttering along behind consoles’ gold-paved success parade, claiming that PC game sales are down 14% from 2008.
However, to be frank, they’re wrong. This is, of course, because NPD doesn’t take into account sales of digitally downloaded games, microtransactions, or the all-important subscription fee – that is to say, the rippling base of PC gaming’s food pyramid. The group has taken a few tentative steps into this arena with a quarterly subscription tracker, but its results are not factored into these 2008 totals.
Hopefully, NPD will continue to build off the base it’s formed with the aforementioned subscription tracker – otherwise, its descent into total obsolescence (even where consoles are concerned) will be less like a rollercoaster and more like Richard Garriott after they turn the gravity back on.
Fortunately, while this first run doesn’t look so hot, next week’s figures will be more in-depth. Here’s hoping this decidedly negative knee-jerk reaction finds itself looking foolish before too long.
Comments are closed on this article
thegamepro
January 19, 2009 at 7:44pm
PC Gaming IS DEAD...In the retail world.
PC gaming is raping console gaming in the online world of subscription, digital downloads, and microtransactions.
I buy most if not all of my pc games through steam because I don't like needing discs in my drive and that I have a gaurantee that I will still be able to play my games if my pc burnt to the ground.
Anyway... What would happen if the Next generation of Consoles went 100% exclusivley digital downloads meaning that all the games are bought through the consoles download service and with no option to buy a retail version? What will the NPD's do then? Will they say that the Videogame industry itself is dying?
I miss the old days of being able buy and sell used games.
I Jedi
January 17, 2009 at 6:30pm
I agree with Doctor X on this, folks. You won't find a huge collection of PC games in stores. I almost always buy my games from Steam or from Amazon.com because of the lack of video games for the PC that I find in stores. We really are moving into the digital age of software... Where we'll begin to download more and more software: Free or comerical for now on. Unless, of course, if cable and phone companies have their way with their bandwidth caps, but those won't always remain in place because customers will get tired of being "screwed" by their providers. So, expect software downloading to just continue to get bigger and bigger... with a few bumps in the road, like Comcast's 250GB limit.
DoctorX
January 17, 2009 at 1:19pm
i may have bought just one boxed game in 2 years... but i have bought close to a $1000 online... mostly through steam. Best part of steam is most of the games can run under wine in linux. I view the decline in the number of retail games bought a bit differently.... I buy few games in the store because noone carries much games for pc any more. Wal-mart, target and best buy all have reduced their shelf space to just the likes of bejewelled. Walmart is a little better, but not by much. If i could buy locally, I would.
mls067
January 17, 2009 at 10:13am
Even if this is true. The games that are released on the PC these days are much better than they were durning the "hey day" of PC gaming. When I browes the console games I am reminded of some of the junk that I had purchased for my PC. It is now easier to find good games for the PC and know that I just didn't waste $50. Yeah, there are still turds being made, but not as many.
Avery
January 17, 2009 at 3:27am
I saw this list for 2008:
TOP 20 best selling games of 2008 for the US:
1. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
2. Spore
3. World of Warcraft: Battle Chest
4. Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures
5. Warhammer Online: Age Of Reckoning
6. Call Of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
7. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe
8. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Collector's Ed
9. Fallout 3
10. World Of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade
11. Call Of Duty: World At War
12. The Sims 2 FreeTime
13. World Of Warcraft
14. Sins Of A Solar Empire
15. Warcraft III Battle Chest
16. The Sims 2 Apartment Life
17. Crysis
18. Left 4 Dead
19. Diablo Battle Chest
20. The Orange BoxNPD is for US results, but we need something world wide to get more of an accurate picture.
I think subscriptions will come in from March'09?
