World of Warcraft registers 12 million
Blizzard Entertainment’s MMO subscriber base jumps to new high following release of Lich King in mainland China; Cataclysm coming December 7.
It has been over five years since Blizzard Entertainment’s massively multiplayer online role-playing game World of Warcraft hit shelves, but the hugely popular title’s in-game population continues to bulge.
Blizzard Entertainment today announced that the World of Warcraft subscriber base has passed the 12 million mark, which is good for the highest tally Blizzard has ever officially announced.
Blizzard said the milestone was reached following the mainland Chinese release of World of Warcraft’s second expansion pack, Wrath of the Lich King. The content expansion arrived in that nation on August 31.
Growth in the MMORPG has been largely static as of late, however. In 2005, the subscriber base was 5 million strong; in January 2007, Blizzard reported a subscriber base of 8 million; in July 2007, the number jumped to 9 million; in January 2008, the figure climbed to 10 million; later that year, the figure hit 11 million. Finally, the most recent virtual census Blizzard took was in December of 2008, when it reported the game boasted 11.5 million subscribers.
Looking ahead, World of Warcraft's third expansion, Cataclysm, is currently in beta and is due out on the PC and Mac on December 7. Cataclysm will follow 2007's Burning Crusade and 2008's Wrath of the Lich King. It will be available in a $40 standard edition and an $80 collector’s version.
The Warcraft franchise will have been around for just over 16 years when Cataclysm reaches eager gamers in December. Talking to GameSpot around the time of the franchise's 15th birthday, Blizzard lead designer Jeff Kaplan said, "I honestly believe that there are enough compelling ideas to keep WOW going for as long as the Internet is up".
Destiny 2: The Final Shape | Journey into The Traveler Trailer Metaphor: ReFantazio The King’s Trial Trailer Tales of the Shire - Official Announcement Trailer Dead Island 2 – Steam Launch Trailer Valheim: Ashlands - Official Gameplay Trailer Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl 2 - Official Zuko Gameplay Spotlight Trailer Fortnite Festival - Official Billie Eilish Cinematic Season 3 Trailer Remnant 2 - The Forgotten Kingdom | DLC Launch Trailer Stellar Blade - Official "The Journey: Part 2" Behind The Scenes Trailer | PS5 Games Starship Troopers: Extermination - Official "The New Vanguard" Update 0.7.0 Trailer Dead by Daylight | Tome 19: Splendor | Reveal Trailer 2XKO - Official Illaoi Champion Gameplay Reveal Trailer
Please enter your date of birth to view this video
By clicking 'enter', you agree to GameSpot's
Terms of Use and Privacy Policy
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com
Join the conversation