Many have cast doubt on the future of PC gaming, calling the industry a pale shadow of what it used to be. We can't help but disagree with that, especially when you look at the stellar lineup prepared for 2011. Research firm Forecasting and Analyzing Digital Entertainment (FADE) has further confirmed the PC industry's continuing vigor by releasing sales stats for Valve's digital distribution platform, Steam.

Although Valve generally keeps Steam's performance figures under wraps, FADE estimates that the service raked in just shy of $1 billion last year. Revenue supposedly reached $970 million in 2010 and unsurprisingly, December was the service's best month with $213 million in sales. FADE reports that over 180 games cracked the $1 million sales mark with the Call of Duty franchise being the top seller.


COD: Black Ops was the highest grossing title with $98.2m, while 2009's Modern Warfare 2 pulled in $39.4m. Valve's own Left 2 Dead 2 was the third bestselling game with $36m in revenue, while Bad Company 2 and Civilization V hit $25.4 and $21.9m, respectively. Portal, Fallout: New Vegas, Metro 2033, Mafia II, and Dawn of War II: Chaos Rising occupied the bottom five slots, selling $10 to $20m.