Recent news from various market tracking agencies have heralded that the video game industry is back on track and doing well. Of late, these figures did not include the PC games market, which has hit a slight depression. However, according to the NPD Group, PC game sales for 2006 totaled $12.5 billion, the first increase since 2004.
In addition to PC software purchases, NPD also reported that sales of PC hardware were up as well. In 2006, $970 million was added to the coffers of PC manufacturers–an increase of $17 million over 2005.
Anita Frazier, an analyst for NPD, said she was encouraged by the data. "It’s refreshing to see an increase in retail sales of PC games after having experienced a few years of declines. With revenues from digital downloads and subscriptions on the rise as well, the PC games segment of the industry remains healthy."
The news of the PC gaming market’s comeback contrasts with the general doom and gloom predictions of analysts who predicted the end of PC gaming, due to the growing popularity of game consoles.
The Top Ten PC games for 2006 were:
1. World of Warcraft–Vivendi Games
2. The Sims 2–Electronic Arts
3. The Sims 2: Open For Business Expansion Pack–Electronic Arts
4. Star Wars: Empire At War–LucasArts
5. The Sims 2: Pets Expansion Pack–Electronic Arts
6. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion–Take-Two Interactive
7. Age of Empires III–Microsoft
8. The Sims 2: Family Fun Stuff Expansion Pack–Electronic Arts
9. Civilization IV–Take-Two Interactive
10. The Sims 2: Nightlife Expansion Pack–Electronic Arts
