The NPD has released a study called PC Games Digital Downloads: Analyst Report. They estimate that for the first half of 2010, there were 11.2 million full-game digital downloads purchased online and 8.2 million physical units purchased at retail.

Despite digital comprising a majority of sales for the PC gaming sphere, the NPD notes, games sold at physical retailers continue to maintain a greater share of dollar revenue at 57 percent versus 43 percent from digitally downloaded games.  This is attributed to a higher average selling price at retail.”

Regardless of the trending towards digital purchases, sales for both digital and physical PC games for the first half were down 21 percent. Total unit sales were also down 14 percent compared to the first half of 2009.

One major finding from this latest report is that the ‘big got bigger’ in the first half of 2010, with both Steam and Bigfish capturing a bigger share of full-game PC games digital download sales than they did last year,” said Anita Frazier, industry analyst, The NPD Group. “The overall decline of PC games when combining sales via both digital downloads and physical retail sales is impacted by the expansion of social network gaming as well as the continued expansion of free game options.