January 22, 2008 | By Leigh Alexander
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Blizzard Entertainment has announced that World of Warcraft has recently passed 10 million subscribers worldwide since its launch on November 23, 2004. According to Blizzard, WoW now hosts more than 2 million subscribers in Europe, more than 2.5 million in North America, and approximately 5.5 million in Asia.
Blizzard adds that the first WoW expansion, The Burning Crusade, was the best-selling PC game of 2007 in North America and Europe, and holds the record for fastest-selling PC game of all time, selling nearly 2.4 million copies in its first 24 hours and approximately 3.5 million in its first month. The also company recently announced it is developing its second expansion, Wrath of the Lich Ling.
World of Warcraft is currently available in seven languages, and Blizzard says a Russian version is in development and scheduled for release later in 2008. In addition to North America and Europe, World of Warcraft is available in China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.
Blizzard also took its customary step of explicitly defining who it counted as subscribers, clarifying that the 10 million number refers to those who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access.
The count does not, however, include free promotional subscriptions, expired or canceled subscriptions or prepaid cards. Blizzard also counted Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days. The subscribers of its licensees were also counted under the same rules.
Blizzard co-founder and CEO Mike Morhaime said, "It’s very gratifying to see gamers around the world continuing to show such enthusiasm and support for World of Warcraft. We’re always pleased to welcome new players to the game, and we’re looking forward to sharing the next major content update with the entire community in the months ahead.”
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