Will Wright revealed he was >leaving EA last week and it seems appropriate that the newest weekly sales report from NPD would underscore how big of a cash cow Wright's company is for EA. EA Maxis's games occupy five slots on the top ten list for PC retail sales for March 29th to April 4th:

1. The Sims 2 Double Deluxe (EA Maxis)
2. World Of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King (Blizzard)
3. Empire: Total War (Creative Assembly)
4. The Sims 2 Apartment Life Exp. Pack(EA Maxis)
5. World Of Warcraft Battle Chest (Blizzard)
6. World Of Warcraft (Blizzard)
7. Warhammer 40K: Dawn of War II (Relic)
8. The Sims 2 Pets Exp. Pack (EA Maxis)
9. Spore (EA Maxis)
10. The Sims 2 University Exp. Pack (EA Maxis)

The base version of The Sims 2 was released in 2004. That's the same year that World of Warcraft (which locked up three spots on the chart) launched. The longevity of both franchises is just absurd.