World of Warcraft Hits 9 Million Subscribers

Blizzard announced today that the popularity of World of Warcraft is still on the rise, with over 9 million subscribers worldwide. When The Burning Crusade launches in China, that figure will likely see another spurt of growth. "Since debuting in North America on November 23, 2004, World of Warcraft has become the most popular MMORPG around the world. It was the bestselling PC game of 2005 and 2006* and has remained at or near the top of the weekly PC-game sales charts for much of 2007 as well. Blizzard's Burning Crusade expansion released to critical acclaim in several regions earlier this year and shattered PC-game sales records in North America and Europe, with nearly 2.4 million copies sold in its first 24 hours of release and approximately 3.5 million in its first month."

More: WoW: The Burning Crusade Review - Find out if the game's first expansion lives up to the hype.

More: WoW vs. PC Gaming - Is there any way to compete with a sensation like World of Warcraft?