Blizzard announced today that they now have 1 million European subscribers for World of Warcraft, a increase of 400% since it launched in February of 2005. This brings the total number of people plugged into the game up to 5.5 Million people. If you figure in an average monthly fee of $15 that translates to $82.5 million a month in subscribers fees. It's hard to knock WoW as they've managed to keep the game fresh with new content and have dropped the ban hammer on every cheater they have found. I just hope that Blizzard takes some of that money and starts on Diablo III sometime soon.
WORLD OF WARCRAFT® REACHES MORE THAN
ONE MILLION CUSTOMERS IN EUROPE
Total worldwide population for Blizzard Entertainment®’s
massively
multiplayer online game now more than 5.5 million customers
Irvine, California
– 19 January, 2006 -- Blizzard
Entertainment, Inc.’s World of
Warcraft®, the world’s leading subscription-based
massively multiplayer online role-playing game, has surpassed the one million
customer milestone in Europe, more than
quadrupling the previously estimated size of the entire European MMORPG market
since its launch in February 2005. In addition, World of Warcraft topped the
sales charts* for
full-price PC games in Europe
last year. Worldwide, the game has a growing audience of more than 5.5 million
customers.
“It is extremely rewarding to see so many
European players enjoying World of Warcraft,â€
said Mike Morhaime, president and
cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment®. “The players have
supported our belief in the European MMORPG market, and we thank them for
helping us make World of Warcraft one
of the most popular games in the world.â€
Available in English, French, and German in Europe, World of
Warcraft is operated by Blizzard’s local European office. Established
in late 2003 and already comprising more than 400 employees and 22 different
nationalities, Blizzard Europe – the second-largest Blizzard office in
the world – has expanded rapidly to keep pace with the growth of World of Warcraft in Europe.
World of Warcraft has steadily grown in popularity around the world since its
initial launch in North America, Australia,
and New Zealand
last November. Following successful launches in Korea,
Europe, China and Singapore, World
of Warcraft launched in the regions of Taiwan,
Hong Kong and Macau.
For more information on World of Warcraft,
please visit the game’s official website at www.wow-europe.com.
World of Warcraft’s
Customer Definition
World of Warcraft customers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or
purchased a prepaid card to play World of
Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the installation box
bundled with one free month access. Internet Game Room players that have
accessed the game over the last seven days are also counted as customers. The
above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions,
expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired pre-paid cards. Customers in
licensees’ territories are defined along the same rules.
* Based
on numbers from Media Control & GFK panels across Europe
as well as internal studies and account data.
About Blizzard Entertainment,
Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including the WarCraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard
Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard-europe.com),
a division of Vivendi Universal Games, is a premier developer and publisher of
entertainment software renowned for creating many of the industry's most
critically acclaimed games. Blizzard's track record includes nine #1-selling
games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's free Internet gaming service,
Battle.net®, reigns as the largest in the world, with millions
of active users.
