Golly gosh gollum, simulation soap opera beats up on simulation fantasy creature feature. Bragging rights and millions of dollars at stake.
A recent report published by the NPD Group claims that Maxis’ Sims 3 kicked the living Orc out of WoW’s Wrath of the Lich King.
Despite being what some might call a sissy game, The Sims 3 did not just beat WoW hands down, it and its predecessor, Sims 2: Double Deluxe, also managed to blast Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 out of the water. Now that’s what we call wow factor.
It would thus appear that in times of economic turmoil, in which the sale of PC software has purportedly slid 23 per cent to just $538 million, people prefer the comforts of playing virtual house than questing around as belligerent elves or soldiers battling Soviet insurgency.
And who wouldn’t need some coddling after hearing that even non-PC hardware, software, and accessory sales had slumped some eight per cent from this time last year and that even console hardware sales have sunk an unlucky 13 per cent year on year?
In fact, overall, software sales for PCs, consoles and handhelds combined only earned $10.5 billion in 2009, an 11 per cent drop from 2008’s $11.7 billion.
The only potentially mitigating factor in NPD’s report is that the firm says it did not count sales from digital distributors like Steam, whose popularity has been increasing daily amongst gamers who prefer to download games directly rather than buy them in boxes.
Here’s the full top 10 list of PC gaming software as compiled by NPD:
1) The Sims 3 – Electronic Arts
2) World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King – Blizzard
3) The Sims 2 Double Deluxe – Electronic Arts
4) World of Warcraft: Battle Chest – Blizzard
5) Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 – Activision
6) World of Warcraft – Blizzard
7) The Sims 3: World Adventures – Electronic Arts
8) Spore – Electronic Arts
9) Dragon Age: Origins – Electronic Arts
10) Empire: Total War – Sega
