In un comunicato stampa del 14 Giugno 2005 Blizzard annuncia che sono ora oltre 2 milioni gli abbonati on-line al diffuso gioco World of Warcraft (un MMORPG fantasy).

Ed è previsto un sostanzioso incremento, in quanto da una settimana il gioco è distribuito in Cina, mentre a breve lo sarà anche in altri paesi asiatici, ampliando notevolmente il bacino di utenti.

Di seguito riportiamo il comunicato ufficiale di Blizzard (raggiungibile a questo indirizzo):

WORLD OF WARCRAFT® ACHIEVES NEW MILESTONE WITH TWO MILLION PAYING SUBSCRIBERS WORLDWIDE

Blizzard Entertainment®'s massively multiplayer online game poised for even greater global success as it officially launches in China

IRVINE, California - June 14, 2005 - Blizzard Entertainment® today announced that World of Warcraft®, the company's highly acclaimed subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), has surpassed two million paying subscribers worldwide*. As the game's worldwide population continues to grow, so does the game itself: Blizzard recently introduced the highly anticipated player-vs.-player (PvP) Honor System and the game's first two Battlegrounds, Alterac Valley and Warsong Gulch. These new PvP battlefields offer a variety of fast-paced combat and some of the most valuable rewards yet seen in the game.

"World of Warcraft continues to surpass all expectations as gamers around the world embrace it with overwhelming support," said Mike Morhaime, president and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We want to thank our players for their incredible response, and we promise to continue supporting World of Warcraft with more updates and content. The new Battlegrounds are just the beginning of greater enhancements to come."

World of Warcraft recently surpassed the two million mark for paying subscribers. Already the largest MMO in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe, Blizzard expects to see even greater growth with the recent commercial launch in China on June 7, 2005. Anticipation for World of Warcraft was already at an all-time high in China, with peak concurrency during the open beta test topping 500,000 players, nearly equal to World of Warcraft's peak concurrency in all three current markets combined. Blizzard expects to see the new mark of two million subscribers shattered quickly with the arrival of players from China in the coming weeks.

Later in the year, World of Warcraft will also launch in Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Even as World of Warcraft debuts in new markets, Blizzard continues to develop new content to keep the game relevant and exciting for current and incoming players. The recent deployment of Battlegrounds illustrates Blizzard's commitment to enhancing the World of Warcraft experience for all its players worldwide. Additional Battlegrounds and more content updates are scheduled throughout the year and beyond.