It’s records upon records for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, which became the fastest-selling PC game in history with nearly 5 million copies sold in a month’s time.
So, did you hear about this World of Warcraft thing? I hear the kids are really into it these days, what with their bloody elves and their LeBron Jenkins. It’s supposed to be kinda big.
WoW‘s third expansion, Cataclysm, set a one-day sales record when it sold 3.3 million copies in its first 24 hours, more than any other PC title in history. It took the crown from … (dun dun dun!) … its predecessor, Wrath of the Lich King, which had managed 2.8 million copies in the same amount of time (Lich King, by the way, had taken the record from Burning Crusade, which – okay, you get the picture).
The 24-hour PC sales record isn’t the only trophy in the Cataclysm cabinet, either. According to Blizzard, Cataclysm sold 4.7 million copies in its first month on sale, setting a new monthly record for a PC game. And it hasn’t even been released in mainland China yet (which might take a while, considering how Lich King only just got approved this year).
“We created thousands of new quests, introduced new lands to explore, and extensively revamped the game world for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, making it our biggest and most ambitious expansion yet,” said Blizzard CEO and cofounder Mike Morhaime. “We’ve been floored by the community’s response so far, and we’d like to thank them for their continued passion and support for World of Warcraft, and for helping Cataclysm reach this incredible milestone.”
I’d just like to point out that this isn’t a brand-new game like, say, StarCraft II (which managed three million in the same amount of time) or Civilization V. This is an expansion pack to a six-year-old MMO, and it still managed to outsell everything else in 2010 this side of Black Ops. Holy crap.
Of course, it’s also quite well-deserved. I’ve spent dozens and dozens of hours in Cataclysm so far, and I think it’s inarguably the finest expansion the game has seen yet. High-level content is hard again and rewarding to finish (if you ever do – I’m looking at you, Heroic-mode Grim Batol), the quest lines are fun and brilliantly-designed, and that isn’t even getting into how much better it is to level a character through the Old World.
Yeah sure, Tol Barad sucks, but that’s a tiny blemish on an otherwise fantastic expansion pack. My little guild on Earthen Ring is preparing to move into 10-man raiding, and I can’t wait.
Bravo, guys.
