From the press release:

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/081223/20081223005146.html?.v=1

WOW hit 11M shortly before Wrath was released, and now has reached 11.5M.

This also means that WOW has gained 1.5M subscribers in 2008.   In January, they announced hitting the 10M subscriber number.   Think about that.. despite the launches of two highly marketed competitors, WOW has gained more subscribers this year then any other western game has total.

It has also sold 4M copies of Wrath in NA/EU in it's first month.   And another interesting fact from the press release.  WOW Vanilla and the Battlechest, both sold more copies this year then they sold last year.

Over 4 million copies in one month ... and that's just the western Userbase. Guess that sure limits the "Zomg It's all Asian copies these days" remarks ^^

Well, WOW is the digital narcotic of choice for me as well. COH/V was my gateway MMO but WOW is the one I need a daily fix of.

I'm happy the game is growing because I generally like every aspect of the game.  Once a game starts dying is when the devs start making drastic and risky changes.

BC =  More of the same + Flying mounts
Wrath = More of the same + Lake Wintergrasp
Next Expansion =  More of the same + Player housing

:)

Go WoW

You should probably look up what exactly WoW calls a considers a "subscriber" before getting too excited.

Originally posted by NightbladeX1

You should probably look up what exactly WoW calls a considers a "subscriber" before getting too excited.

Someone who pays a fee during the month, excluding free trials and expired accounts?

I think they are pretty clear about it.

Originally posted by Pheace

Over 4 million copies in one month ... and that's just the western Userbase. Guess that sure limits the "Zomg It's all Asian copies these days" remarks ^^

I'd be more curious about how many of their "subscribers" DIDN'T buy the expansion in the US. I can't imagine very many people currently subscribed wouldn't buy it, which would lead to the assumption that a lot of those subscribers are indeed in Asia, if only 4 million copies were sold out of the 11.5 million subscribers they claim.

Being able to play it on a cellphone sure helps all the low requirement toting johnny boys on grandmas computer being able to play.. but whatever..

Originally posted by Azrile

From the press release:

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/081223/20081223005146.html?.v=1

WOW hit 11M shortly before Wrath was released, and now has reached 11.5M.

This also means that WOW has gained 1.5M subscribers in 2008.   In January, they announced hitting the 10M subscriber number.   Think about that.. despite the launches of two highly marketed competitors, WOW has gained more subscribers this year then any other western game has total.

It has also sold 4M copies of Wrath in NA/EU in it's first month.   And another interesting fact from the press release.  WOW Vanilla and the Battlechest, both sold more copies this year then they sold last year.

I thought you said before they have 12 million subs? Only 500k subs since release thats kinda low for 2 years of work. I say WOW has 1 billion subs since WOW players can say what they want truth or not.

Expansions aren't supposed to bring in more subs than most other games on the market, they're there to keep the current sub base from leaving ... you can't be that dense can you? Wotlk is *not* the new game a lot of people seem to think it should be, it's an expansion.

Originally posted by Azrile

I'm happy the game is growing because I generally like every aspect of the game.  Once a game starts dying is when the devs start making drastic and risky changes.

 

LOL say whaaaaaaaaat!!!... Everything that has happened before, during and after BC and wotlk indicates a dying game and risky changes. Both expansions have flopped big time.

1. Recruit a Fruit

2. Nerfing all the Raid bosses

3. Constant desktop crashes

4.Transfer characters in limbo for weeks

5. Horrible customer service

6. Gold Spammers

The list goes on  and on.....Hate to break it to you but it is just a matter of time...enough said

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Originally posted by woody1974

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Originally posted by Azrile

I'm happy the game is growing because I generally like every aspect of the game.  Once a game starts dying is when the devs start making drastic and risky changes.
 

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LOL say whaaaaaaaaat!!!... Everything that has happened before, during and after BC and wotlk indicates a dying game and risky changes. Both expansions have flopped big time.
1. Recruit a Fruit
2. Nerfing all the Raid bosses
3. Constant desktop crashes
4.Transfer characters in limbo for weeks
5. Horrible customer service
6. Gold Spammers
The list goes on  and on.....Hate to break it to you but it is just a matter of time...enough said

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WTF? :S

1. this is used to get new subs obivously... why not? its a company that wants more and more subs, whats wrong with that?
2. making the current not hardcore-players enjoy all the end game aswell (also they did this a few weeks before the expasion came out so isnt such a big deal... :S)
3. thats due to your own comp imo... never crashes here, get a job and earn some monoy to update your comp :P (sorry got a bit carried on there... :P)
4. making it easier to play with your real live friends, no indication its dying...
5. no comment here, never used it... :P
6. how is that a sign that a game is dying? thats more a sign that a game is doing good isnt it?!? :S

last but not least, i do agree that it will happen some time in the future, but your arguments just didnt make any sence... :S

oki, not ment to be hurtfull in any way, just though you didnt make any sence to me...

Dying game? You must live in a paralel reality that everything works in reverse.

Even if WoW loses 9/10 of their playerbase, they will still end up with numbers that keep other MMOs afloat for years. The fear is not about the game dying but about the game having the absolute monopoly in the MMO frontier.

"Frankly Scarlett I don't give a damn"

Think he's confusing WAR or some other game with the crashes, My game never crashes to desktop (although I had a #132 spell back in the second year).

Originally posted by Xasapis

Dying game? You must live in a paralel reality that everything works in reverse.

 

Even if WoW loses 9/10 of their playerbase, they will still end up with numbers that keep other MMOs afloat for years. The fear is not about the game dying but about the game having the absolute monopoly in the MMO frontier.

For subscription based games, WoW pretty much owns the market.  They are the MS of subscription MMOs right now -- noone else even comes close to the level of sucess.  5 of the top 20 PC games by sales in November were various permutations of WoW -- classic, TBC, Wrath, battlechest, CE Wrath.  5 out of 20.  That's a staggering degree of success for an MMO, and frankly for any game at all. 

firstly your post doesnot clarify how many users left after buying Wotlk .secondly my problem with wow is that classes are not balanced .sometimes they will give paladin so much buff that it will rule the whole azeroth and sometimes it will give DK the buff that all paladin powers will be ruined .thirdly its because of us stupid subscribers that wow doesnot consider  to implement a fair balanced  classes .i am hopeful i will never go back to wow until and unless they do something about classes .and i know they wont give a heed to the advices as they are continously making money. i hope i will the first rock dropped in the water for refusing blizzard hierachacy and beuracratic rule .and you guys wanna flame my post .sure do it .i dont respond to flame answers. neither have time for that old creepy stuff.

Originally posted by catsaad

firstly your post doesnot clarify how many users left after buying Wotlk .secondly my problem with wow is that classes are not balanced .sometimes they will give paladin so much buff that it will rule the whole azeroth and sometimes it will give DK the buff that all paladin powers will be ruined .thirdly its because of us stupid subscribers that wow doesnot consider  to implement a fair balanced  classes .i am hopeful i will never go back to wow until and unless they do something about classes .and i know they wont give a heed to the advices as they are continously making money. i hope i will the first rock dropped in the water for refusing blizzard hierachacy and beuracratic rule .and you guys wanna flame my post .sure do it .i dont respond to flame answers. neither have time for that old creepy stuff.

Blizzard and WoW are so successful, because they listen to their playerbase.  Hop on over to any WoW fansite that tracks developer posts and you can see how they not only ask for input, but also try to explain the reasonings they use when they make changes and for feedback on those changes.  Try mmo-champion.com to see what I am talking about.

No game is ever going to get balance perfect, but for a game that offers both casual and hardcore, pve and pvp, group and solo content it sure does a pretty good job.  Even with making to many changes at once for the expansion it is still well balanced for the most part.

Originally posted by woody1974

Originally posted by Azrile

I'm happy the game is growing because I generally like every aspect of the game.  Once a game starts dying is when the devs start making drastic and risky changes.

 

LOL say whaaaaaaaaat!!!... Everything that has happened before, during and after BC and wotlk indicates a dying game and risky changes. Both expansions have flopped big time.

Lay off the eggnog already lol.  Both expansions have flopped?

WotLK added more players to WoW than what most MMOs have for their entire subscriber base.