Will there ever come a time when World of Warcraft isn’t utterly dominating the Massively Multiplayer scene? Now just a couple of days short of its fourth birthday and getting on a bit in gaming terms, WoW is going stronger than ever. Developer Blizzard reveals that the latest expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, sold 2.8 million copies in just 24 hours.
And it seems likely that many times more were then sold in the weekend following launch. With over 11 million WoW subscribers now on record, Blizzard is off to a good start. And so far, only one raving WoW addict has succumbed to sleep deprivation and starvation in his quest to defeat Arthas the Lich King.
The staggering sales figure pips the previous day-1 sales record of 2.4 million copies. And that was set by the previous expansion pack, The Burning Crusade. Smug gits.
This news throws down a gauntlet for the rest of MMO industry. Publishers must blinded by dollar signs as they watch Blizzard drowning in sweet, sweet cash money. But it’s abundantly clear that WoW isn’t going to be easily budged from the top spot either. Games like Lord of the Rings Online, Age of Conan and Warhammer Age of Reckoning (and a LOT more) have tried extremely hard to topple WoW from its throne, but so far, it isn’t going anywhere.
What do you think – how long can Blizzard realistically stay on top? Tell us in the comments below.
Out now | £24.99 for PC and Mac (WoW + Burning Crusade also required) | Blizzard
