Will World of Warcraft Dominate 2009?
Although it's now 4 years old, Blizzard's World of Warcraft retains its top position as the world's most popular MMO (massive multiplayer online) game currently being played.
First released in 2004 in the U.S. and 2005 in Europe the popular game now has over 11 million loyal followers around the world. The latest extension, Wrath of the Lich King, attracted thousands of avid players when it was simultaneously released in North America, Europe, Chile, Argentina and Russia. The previous WoW extension, The Burning Crusade, sold around 2.4 million copies in the first day of its release. This record was broken by the latest release which sold 2.8 million copies in the first 24 hours.
Being a WoW gamer can be an expensive hobby. In order to play Lich King gamers will have had spend cash to upgrade from the original WoW, plus more cash for Burning Crusade and then pay the monthly subscription of £8.99 before shelling out another £24.99 for this latest extension.
So what is the secret to World of Warcraft's success? There has certainly been no shortage of contenders for the number one position as the most popular MMO game. Funcom's Age of Conan and Electronic Arts' Warhammer Online use similar, fantasy, fictional environments but don't yet have the established player-base enjoyed by WoW. Perhaps this situation will change with the new year.
But we haven't answered the question explaining why WoW is so enormously popular. If you are aged around 12 or 13 and all of your classmates at school are playing WoW online in the evenings which game will you be asking for this Christmas? This is a key factor in the success of this game.
Another key factor is how Blizzard have made the game accessible and engaging by making it less-challenging than older, sometimes offputting, MMO games. This has made the game less off-putting and much simpler to play. This is another key element in the success of WoW. And another outstanding feature is, of course, the graphics. The characters and environment are outstandingly well designed and very engaging.
What is particularly striking is that, although the world is diving into an ever deepening economic recession, there is still enough spare cash around to spend on escapist entertainment like WoW.
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