World of Warcraft subscribers pass 12 million
Chinese release of Wrath of the Lich King pushes MMO to latest milestone
The subscriber base for MMORPG World of Warcraft has passed 12 million players, developer Blizzard has announced.
The milestone comes following the launch of the Wrath of the Lich King expansion in mainland China, and ahead of the December 7 release of Cataclysm in the US and Europe.
"The support and enthusiasm that gamers across the world continue to show for World of Warcraft reaffirms our belief that it offers one of the best entertainment values available today," offered Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard
"We are as committed as ever to taking the game to new heights, and we look forward to demonstrating that with Cataclysm in December."
World of Warcraft was first released in November 2004 and is playable in eight languages.
The company’s definition of subscriber includes all those paying a subscription fee or using an active prepaid card, and those that are using the free month of access with a new purchase of the game. It does not include free, expired or cancelled subs and prepaid cards.