http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/43735/World-of-WarCraft-11-5-Million-Subscribers

blizzard today annouced that wow have reached 11.5 million subscribers as of today 12/23/08.

Goo blizzard hit that 12 million mark.

boy do i laugh at the people who thinks wow is dying seriously get real.

for your information:

World of Warcraft's Subscriber Definition
World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals 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. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules.

Hmmph. I don't know how to feel. I like seeing an MMO do good, but I know deep down that the better that WoW does, the worse the future of this genre looks.

Originally posted by Abrahmm

Hmmph. I don't know how to feel. I like seeing an MMO do good, but I know deep down that the better that WoW does, the worse the future of this genre looks.

It does get boring playing WoW clones that aren't even as great as WoW itself.

Who in their right mind thinks WOW is dying?

Nobody, I think people post this drivel to argue with themselves, EQ1 is still kicking after all these years so why would WOW be any diffrent?

Crazy kids..

Not surprised..

WoW is the AOL of MMOs - first mainstream success of its kind, it lives on noobs, its vets feed the rest of the market, and when it runs out of noobs to recruit its decline will be extraordinarily rapid and no MMO will reach its level of success ever again because the market will be too fragmented to support it.

Originally posted by Abrahmm

Hmmph. I don't know how to feel. I like seeing an MMO do good, but I know deep down that the better that WoW does, the worse the future of this genre looks.

It's pretty hard to say if you ask me. We have never seen so many developers and publishers jump on the mmo wagon before but at the same time we see a whole lot of mmorpg's failing and very few success stories. Games like Auto Assault and Tabula Rasa, which both may not be the best mmorpg's ever made, definitly didn't deserve to die in only a year.

Right now World of Warcraft is having a monopoly on the genre.

There's a huge * attached w/ any WoW subscription numbers though.

That huge * being that in the East (Asia), the subscription is very different from what we have here in NA and Europe. You see in Asia, where the VAST, vast majority of those 11million "subscribers" come from, people don't subscribe for a month at a time. They pay a nominal fee (something like $2) for the client itself, and then pay for small blocks of time, as little as one hour in fact, so the numbers can be played with a bit and made to look higher.

It's been guessed (by corporate analysts) that less then 1/5 of the total subscribers of WoW actually subscribe the way we do here in NA. So maybe 2million of those 11.5million "subscribers" are actually what we here in the US would call a subscriber. So in reality, for all we know Blizz is taking a "snap-shot" of their peak-users or "subscribers" for Asia, and calling them subscribers even though it's not the same as what we would consider a subscriber.

Those numbers Blizz puts out are really very misleading.

note: I'd just like to throw out there that I am not saying that WoW is dying or any such thing, all I am saying is that those numbers are almost meaningless and can't really be used to tout the game's health here in the US.

Everyone likes to knock the guy on top but let’s face it, WoW does a lot of things right. No matter what anyone says against it, Blizzard can always point to their 11 million, smile and laugh. I’m actually more sick of hearing people knock WoW, and then go on and admit that they still play the game for one reason or another.

     Sorry but I dont count Asia's "diner play" as a subscription.......The US/EU numbers are still good but not anywhere near the 11 million they profess.......I have played on several servers and never had to wait n queues and they were never crowded so I really doubt the numbers anyway.........I think the comparison to AOL is a real good one.......

Originally posted by polypterus

Everyone likes to knock the guy on top but let’s face it, WoW does a lot of things right. No matter what anyone says against it, Blizzard can always point to their 11 million, smile and laugh. I’m actually more sick of hearing people knock WoW, and then go on and admit that they still play the game for one reason or another.

I agree, WoW does do a lot of things right, and while the game mechanics aren't my particular favorite, I still think the game is a great game for what it is.

The problem isn't with WoW doing things wrong, but it's with other developers failing to do things right. Yes, WoW is good, but making a million crappy knock offs isn't going to net you the millions of subscribers WoW has. Anyone with half a brain has figured this out, yet the developers can't.

Originally posted by Gameloading

Originally posted by Abrahmm

Hmmph. I don't know how to feel. I like seeing an MMO do good, but I know deep down that the better that WoW does, the worse the future of this genre looks.

 

It's pretty hard to say if you ask me. We have never seen so many developers and publishers jump on the mmo wagon before but at the same time we see a whole lot of mmorpg's failing and very few success stories. Games like Auto Assault and Tabula Rasa, which both may not be the best mmorpg's ever made, definitly didn't deserve to die in only a year.

Right now World of Warcraft is having a monopoly on the genre.

MMO developers have themselves to blame.

Most current MMO players started their career with WoW. When these same players get bored of WoW and want to try something different, they quickly find out that almost all of the popular MMOs out there are just like WoW. Why play another WoW clone when you can play WoW?

I play WoW on and off for the same reason. I've invested time and money into my characters and the only way to get me to stick with something else is to provide me with a different experience. I've tried most other MMOs but since most are poorly done WoW clones, I return to WoW.

Another reason is that WoW is a fully fleshed out game with a very powerful and talanted development house which communicates with their customers. Any MMO released right now has to compete with WoW in it's current state. Basically, if the game isn't released virtually bug free and filled with content, it will not do well. AOC is a prime example of this. The game has a lot of potential but the crappy launch, bad descisions and lack of communication on the developers part really served to nail the coffin.

Originally posted by teddyboy420

There's a huge * attached w/ any WoW subscription numbers though.

That huge * being that in the East (Asia), the subscription is very different from what we have here in NA and Europe. You see in Asia, where the VAST, vast majority of those 11million "subscribers" come from, people don't subscribe for a month at a time. They pay a nominal fee (something like $2) for the client itself, and then pay for small blocks of time, as little as one hour in fact, so the numbers can be played with a bit and made to look higher.

It's been guessed (by corporate analysts) that less then 1/5 of the total subscribers of WoW actually subscribe the way we do here in NA. So maybe 2million of those 11.5million "subscribers" are actually what we here in the US would call a subscriber. So in reality, for all we know Blizz is taking a "snap-shot" of their peak-users or "subscribers" for Asia, and calling them subscribers even though it's not the same as what we would consider a subscriber.

Those numbers Blizz puts out are really very misleading.

note: I'd just like to throw out there that I am not saying that WoW is dying or any such thing, all I am saying is that those numbers are almost meaningless and can't really be used to tout the game's health here in the US.

I'd like to see some links backing up your information.

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It's been guessed (by corporate analysts) that less then 1/5 of the total subscribers of WoW actually subscribe the way we do here in NA. So maybe 2million of those 11.5million "subscribers" are actually what we here in the US would call a subscriber. So in reality, for all we know Blizz is taking a "snap-shot" of their peak-users or "subscribers" for Asia, and calling them subscribers even though it's not the same as what we would consider a subscriber.

Those numbers Blizz puts out are really very misleading.

note: I'd just like to throw out there that I am not saying that WoW is dying or any such thing, all I am saying is that those numbers are almost meaningless and can't really be used to tout the game's health here in the US.

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So if I follow this what you say, Wow REALLY has around 9.5 million or so?

I think I'm reading your post wrong.

You can call me crazy but 9.5 million compared to what the other games is pulling.. it might as well be 12million. What is the nearest competitor to Wow making in subs? Is it topping 2 million? Even if it was, that's still almost one-fifth of 9.5 million. So they do less than 20% of Wow's business.

I really don't think people should nitpick over 2 million 'fake' subs when no one else has 2 million "legit" subs. Do they?

I think 3/4's of the MMOs out on the market today would love to have those fake trash subs people are saying WoW has.

Originally posted by popinjay

 So if I follow this what you say, Wow REALLY has around 9.5 million or so?

You can call me crazy but 9.5 million compared to what the other games is pulling.. it might as well be 12million. What is the nearest competitor to Wow making in subs? Is it topping 2 million? Even if it was, that's still almost one-fifth of 9.5 million. So they do less than 20% of Wow's business.

I really don't think people should nitpick over 2 million 'fake' subs when no one else has 2 million "legit" subs. Do they?

I think 3/4's of the MMOs out on the market today would love to have those fake trash subs people are saying WoW has.
 

I think he's trying to claim only 2 million are real subs.  However since I see nothing backing this claim  up, I tend to believe Blizzard's numbers.

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I think he's trying to claim only 2 million are real subs. However since I see nothing backing this claim up, I tend to believe Blizzard's numbers.

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O.M.G.

"No. he. dinnt!" hehe

" who have paid a subscription fee" that sounds kind of confusing...this means active subscriptions right?

And the way it works for Asia (atleast Korea) is subscriptions that last for say 1 months or 900 hours...Although I'm sure they do have pay as you go subscription options...its a lot more flexible over there.

Originally posted by Furor

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/43735/World-of-WarCraft-11-5-Million-Subscribers

 

blizzard today annouced that wow have reached 11.5 million subscribers as of today 12/23/08.

Goo blizzard hit that 12 million mark.

boy do i laugh at the people who thinks wow is dying seriously get real.

 

for your information:

World of Warcraft's Subscriber Definition
World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals 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. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules.

 

I'm sorry to say that Blizzard is full of shit and they have a glitch in there system..Also if you look at the Headlines they are hurting for money..They can brag all they want..But the bottom line is Money and they are not making it...You can make anything look good on paper..But REALITY tells it all!

EDIT: Got confused with Blizzard with EA.. Sorry my mistake..But Blizzard did take a 14% drop in stocks..I think its no chump change to them though..Blzzard is doing good its EA doing bad..I dont know why i think these two are the same company...Ok I wear my Dunce hat for tonight...

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Originally posted by hoopty

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Originally posted by Furor

http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/43735/World-of-WarCraft-11-5-Million-Subscribers
 
blizzard today annouced that wow have reached 11.5 million subscribers as of today 12/23/08.
Goo blizzard hit that 12 million mark.
boy do i laugh at the people who thinks wow is dying seriously get real.
 
for your information:
World of Warcraft's Subscriber Definition
World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals 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. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees' territories are defined along the same rules.
 

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I'm sorry to say that Blizzard is full of shit and they have a glitch in there system..Also if you look at the Headlines they are hurting for money..They can brag all they want..But the bottom line is Money and they are not making it...You can make anything look good on paper..But REALITY tells it all!

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Could you show me these headlines?

I am not a Blizzard fan anymore (all the good people quit and are doing other things now), but they are NOT hurting for money. They are probably running the most profitable MMORPG out there right now.

Originally posted by teddyboy420

You see in Asia, where the VAST, vast majority of those 11million "subscribers" come from, people don't subscribe for a month at a time.

I dont know your definition of "vast" or if you have anything to back up your claim

but the WOW breakdown from Jan 2008  

was  4.5 NA/EU and 5.5  Asia

www.blizzard.com/us/press/080122.html

4.5 NonAsian subs of 10 mill is practically half