WOW numbers hit nine million

World of Warcraft’s ever growing subscription base has reached nine million, ahead of the release of the expansion pack World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade in mainland China.

The game has risen to become the most popular MMORPG since debuting in North America in 2004, while The Burning Crusade expansion sold around 3.5 million copies in its first month.

We’re thrilled that gamers around the world have continued to embrace World of Warcraft so enthusiastically,” said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. We’ve worked hard to provide a compelling experience for our players, and we plan to continue updating the game with exciting new content for them to enjoy for many years to come.”