The NPD group is well known for being the scorekeeper in this round of the console wars. Their monthly releases of sales figures for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and Wii fill forums and blog posts with endless fodder for discussion. This week they released the results of units tracking for massively multiplayer games, and the results are a bit surprising. Here are the top five subscription-based titles in the United States:Comments from the NPD on these numbers are somewhat humorous, and reflect their contentious relationship with PC gamers. "Now that NPD can estimate the value of the subscription market, it's clear that there is a sizable chunk of revenue being generated by PC gaming beyond what is reflected in retail sales." Veteran designer Raph Koster reflects on the numbers at his personal site, noting the huge leap between the US percentage of WoW subscribers and the 136,000 users playing City of Heroes. This hit-driven curve is another challenge for the genre, and should be kept in mind as we move into the launch windows of new AAA titles.
