Weekly PC Sales Charts: NPD, Steam, Direct2Drive

In an attempt to represent the significantly changing PC game marketplace, Gamasutra will now be chronicling on a weekly basis the top ten best-selling PC games according to various outlets -- tracking retail sales as well as digital distribution. NPD data is aggregated from over thirty retail outlets, while Direct2Drive and Steam data is provided directly by those digital distribution services themselves. NPD As has been the case for years, and likely will be for the forseeable future, NPD's tracking of retail PC sales is broadly dominated by Blizzard and Maxis, whose Warcraft and The Sims franchises are among the most ubiquitous software at non-specialty-gaming retail. The Creative Assembly's Empire: Total War fell one slot from last week, but held within the top three, which it has managed to do since its release. Relic's Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II finally dropped out of the top five for the first time since hitting shelves, but only down to number seven. The full top ten list, reflecting the week ending April 4, is as follows: 1. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe (EA Maxis) 2. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (Blizzard Entertainment) 3. Empire: Total War (The Creative Assembly) 4. The Sims 2 Apartment Life (EA Maxis) 5. World Of Warcraft: Battle Chest (Blizzard Entertainment) 6. World Of Warcraft (Blizzard Entertainment) 7. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn Of War II (Relic Entertainment) 8. The Sims 2 Pets (EA Maxis) 9. Spore (EA Maxis) 10. The Sims 2 University (EA Maxis) Direct2Drive On the Direct2Drive weekly chart, Square Enix's MMO Final Fantasy XI Vana'diel Collection 2008 completed its surprising weeks-long trek up to the top, displacing EA Phenomic's BattleForge. Interestingly, unlike the previous week, The Creative Assembly's Rome: Total War Gold beat out the studio's newer Empire. Radon Labs' 2008 RPG Drakensang: The Dark Eye managed to get into the list at number nine, just ahead of Maxis' only product on the list, The Sims 2 Double Deluxe -- reflecting the disparity between the retail-focused mainstream PC audience, and the apparently more hardcore online crowd. The full top ten list, reflecting the week ending April 4, is as follows: 1. Final Fantasy XI Vana'diel Collection 2008 (Square Enix) 2. BattleForge (EA Phonemic) 3. Space Siege (Gas Powered Games) 4. Rome: Total War Gold (The Creative Assembly) 5. Fallout 3 (Bethesda Game Studios) 6. Men of War (Best Way) 7. Empire: Total War (The Creative Assembly) 8. Command & Conquer 3: Red Alert - Uprising (EA LA) 9. Drakensang: The Dark Eye (Radon Labs) 10. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe (EA Maxis) Steam Steam's rolling list is about a week ahead of the previous two but represents a narrow time frame. It is led by Left 4 Dead which, in absence of major new blockbusters or sales events, has been the de facto Steam chart-topper since the game's release last November. Below that, the next three slots are occupied by new Steam releases from the last few days -- Number None's indie hit Braid, Relic's standalone expansion Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor, and Square Enix's RPG The Last Remnant. Valve's perennial 2007 seller The Orange Box hangs on at number ten. Meanwhile, Steam is the only top ten this week to feature a casual puzzle game, with PopCap's Peggle at number five. The full top ten list, reflecting the most recent available data, is as follows: 1. Left 4 Dead (Valve Software) 2. Braid (Number None) 3. Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor (Relic Entertainment) 4. The Last Remnant (Square Enix) 5. Counter-Strike: Source (Valve Software) 6. Peggle Complete (PopCap Games) 7. Empire: Total War (The Creative Assembly) 8. Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II (Relic Entertainment) 9. Company of Heroes Complete Pack (Relic Entertainment) 10. The Orange Box (Valve Software)