World of Warcraft hits a Million

Joseph Laszlo | September 02, 2005, 12:17 PM

It's been a while since I blogged about news from the massively multiplayer online game (MMOG) world, but worth pointing out that Blizzard Entertainment this week announced that its immensely popular World of Warcraft game has become the first MMOG to achieve a million paying customers in North America.

That's a pretty impressive milestone in an industry, and the fact that WoW's momentum has lasted this long (unlike many MMOGs that grow quickly in their first few months, peak, and then enter a slow inevitable spiral of death) underscores how much Blizzard has done right with this title.

It's also worth noting that although Warcraft was an existing gaming franchise, the first MMOG to hit 1m was NOT tied to an established fictional universe like Star Wars or the Matrix. Having a fun game matters; having wookiees or prada-looking clothes or what-not, not so much.