PC Games Revenue Up In 2002, But Unit Volume Down

PC games sales over the first ten months of 2002 reached $956 million compared with $945 million during the first ten months of 2001. Between January and October of 2002, 41.6 million units of PC games were sold compared with 44.4 million during the same period the year prior. NPD noted that the average selling price of PC games jumped from $32 last year to $37 this year. However, the firm did not shed any light on whether the increase in average price was the cause of the lower unit volume, or whether the lower unit volume was due to an outside factor such as increased competition from the console industry. One highlight of this year's sales was the growth in expansion packs and sequels, which increased by about 400,000 units, to 3.1 million units. That represents about 7.5% of the total game unit volume this year. The top selling PC games from January to October 2002 are the following: 1. The Sims: Vacation Expansion Pack (Electronic Arts, $29) 2. Warcraft III: Reign Of Chaos (Vivendi Universal Publishing, $57) 3. The Sims (Electronic Arts, $42) 4. Medal Of Honor: Allied Assault (Electronic Arts, $45) 5. The Sims: Hot Date Expansion Pack (Electronic Arts, $29) 6. Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone (Electronic Arts, $27) 7. Roller Coaster Tycoon (Infogrames Entertainment, $19) 8. The Sims: Unleashed Expansion Pack (Electronic Arts, $29) 9. Neverwinter Nights (Infogrames Entertainment, $54) 10. MS Zoo Tycoon (Microsoft, $27 )