For most of us, Christmas has come and gone and the world enters 2009 in the midst of a new US president, Middle-East conflict and a European gas crisis. However, the big game publishers have been busy doing their sums to tally how much they managed to haul in during the Christmas rush. The result? Video games are among the top five presents bought for 12-25 year olds. The Christmas period has always been a traditional time for developers and publishers to receive a massive boost in sales, however with such a vast selection of consoles, games and perishables now available, sales of the Wii and games like "World of Warcraft" were higher than expected this year as the world travels further into recession.

In the US alone, the month of December saw sales of video games rise to a massive $5 Billion. Total sales figures for the year are around $21.33 billion, a 19% rise over 2007.

Sales for PC games were also quite promising, as many now claim that the PC as a gaming platform is making a substantial comeback. However, what does all this mean for the MMO game developers and publishers?

This is actually quite good news. More and more people are logging on now than ever before. With many receiving RPGs like "WoW" and "Warhammer Online" as Christmas gifts, millions of gamers will renew their subscriptions on or around the 25th of this month, as free 30 day periods expire. This will mean a rush of cash into the pockets of the developers, which will ease the blow as sales figures go into a slight recline during the summer months due to people venturing outside and the lack of a present-giving holiday.