WoW Subscriber Base Hits 11.5 Million
Blizzard announced today that 11.5 million players currently subscribe to the World of Warcraft MMORPG. Ouch.
That's quite a lot of people when you think about it, all sitting behind computer monitors and flat screens, all inhaling bodily fumes mixed with the smell of stale chips, fizzed-out soda and three-day-old underwear. Of course, that's a stereotypical view of the MMORPG player seen by those who don't understand the true feeling of conquering mobs and level grinding. But by enlisting the likes of Ozzy Osbourne or inspiring a hit webisode now picked up by Microsoft, Blizzard Entertainment's World of Warcraft has become a monstrous boss of a game, taking down former champions Everquest, Lord of the Rings Online, Dark Age of Camelot, Lineage II, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and more in one fell swoop.
According to Blizzard, World of Warcraft surpassed 11.5 million subscribers after the release of the game's second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King. Apparently, more than 2.8 million copies were sold in the first 24 hours of its availability, and have now sold over 4 million copies in the initial first month. “Not only is Wrath of the Lich King still doing well, the base World of Warcraft game and the World of Warcraft Battle Chest are performing better than last year,” said Bob McKenzie, senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop. “That type of traction is very impressive for a game that is going into its fifth holiday season and speaks to the enthusiastic player base Blizzard Entertainment products have.”
Of course, Blizzard was also quick to define where the subscription numbers actually came from, revealing that the figures include Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days. The subscription base also includes gamers 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. But whether the figures are embellished or not, the fact of the matter is that World of Warcraft is the #1 MMORPG to date, racking in mounds and mounds of cash for all employees enlisted at Blizzard--in a matter of speaking, Blizzard is the ultimate gold farmer.
To keep up with consumer demand, Blizzard is currently hiring for numerous positions. Interested individuals should head here and check out what the company offers; not only is Blizzard looking for talented people to "help keep pace with continued growth of World of Warcraft," loads of other jobs are listed as well. For Diablo 3, Blizzard seeks a Software Engineer, Senior Software Engineer, Senior Game Designer, and a Senior 3D Environment Artist. For StarCraft II, a senior Game Designer and an Associate 3D Artist is needed. In all, over 50 jobs are available, spanning from Irvine, California to Austin, Texas.
Interestingly enough, Blizzard also offers positions for an "unannounced Next-Gen MMO," looking to fill 11 positions including Lead 3D Character Artist, Concept Artist, Software Engineer, Server engineer and more. Fans and critics alike have speculated on what the unannounced title could be, suggesting a resurrection of the StarCraft: Ghost project, a World of Warcraft successor, or perhaps a sequel for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.
But until Blizzard finally reveals the mystery game, the company will undoubtedly see numbers rise in regards to World of Warcraft. “We’re pleased to welcome the new and returning players who have helped World of Warcraft reach these new milestones, and we appreciate the enthusiasm and support that the game’s global community has continued to show,” said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. “We look forward to providing all of them with an excellent entertainment experience for a long time to come.”
With its current momentum, will anything be able to topple World of Warcraft? Eventually. Just look at the original EverQuest and how players flocked to its virtual terrain, and worshiped every textured centimeter until something bigger and better came along. That too will happen with World of Warcraft one day, but as recent subscription numbers show, that won't be anytime soon--and it could very well be another Blizzard MMO.

WoW will crash, obviously, everyone knows that. I'm hoping sooner then later.
Hrmm, lets see, Everquest was 5 years old when it was released and had already long since hit its peak. DAOC was hardly affected by WOW, as DAOC players were interested in PVP, and WOW's was and is lackluster. Vanguard:SOH's failure had absolutely jack to do with WOW, and LOTR
I'm just getting so sick and tired of the constant nutswinging by the general media on WOW. The idea that because something is popular automatically means its quality and/or good is just fallacious and wrong.
This is in accordance with prophecy.
anyways, not surprising for me, i've played all blizzard games since diablo 1. they keep on making quality games, they deserve it.
quality meaning everything on the game. can't think of any developer that come close. i still love how starcraft feels and play than any other realtime strategy game.
Fine by me. The more money they make, the more potential MMO's will be made by others in competition. And that's where the really great games will come out. If they make no money, there's not much buzz for a markget.
+1 They make games that you would enjoy playing 10 years latter a little bit such as starcraft.
I want to know how many of those 11.5 million are current ACTIVE subscribers. Don't just tell us how many subscribed over the past years. That's like Time magazine counting subscribers from 40 years ago.
Blizzard is for sure doing the right things, concerning WoW...
Have you ever played WoW? They've kicked up the pvp a lot since it first came out (Back then it was pretty much non-existent). I've actually enjoyed the pvp in WoW a lot. But I do agree with the fact that WoW is a bit overrated. It's fun but it's definitely not as worship worthy as some people make it out to be