The subscriber-base of World of Warcraft is a constantly shifting beast. Whereas at one point Blizzard did not expect its subscriber count to rise to its once-monumental value, a recent spike in subscribers hinted at what the 10-year-old game's future could hold. With the release of its new expansion, Warlords of Draenor, it looks as though the MMO behemoth still has more than enough gas left in its tank.

Despite getting hit with a DDoS attack following the launch of its latest expansion and running into the server issues that gamers have come to associate with the release of World of Warcraft expansions, it is being reported that the game has managed to surpass 10 million subscribers. For a game that is over a decade old, this is no easy task but moving 3.3 million copies of the new expansion in 24 hours definitely helps.

While this is likely to be a case of post-expansion excitement that will begin to abate as the months pass, it's no less impressive to see. The game has seen constant reworkings in regards to gameplay and graphics and will even be making its way to the silver screen soon enough. Few - if any - games or franchises can boast of the kind of success that World of Warcraft has attained.

With the announcement of new Blizzard franchise Overwatch, its clear that the software juggernaut has their eyes on the expansion of their already-solid repertoire of titles in addition to providing continued support for their existing experiences. With this kind of care for their iconic IPs, it wouldn't be at all unreasonable to see World of Warcraft still going in some form in 2024.

Until that day, though, World of Warcraft is likely to continue its subscriber count roller coaster ride. From revenue drops to the excitement and resurgence of users with expansion releases, the franchise has undoubtedly touched a great number of gamers in its many years. In this way, no one is truly free of the game's hold. It's just a matter of time before Blizzard puts out that new batch of content that draws the skeptics back in for another adventure in Azeroth.

Did the release of Warlords of Draenor draw you back into World of Warcraft? Do you think it will be able to continue its momentum for much longer?

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World of Warcraft and its newest expansion Warlords of Draenor are out now for PC and Mac users.

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Source: Polygon