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All of the latest Mists of Pandaria newsCataclysm is the fastest-selling PC game "of all time"
by Adam Holisky 
Dec 13th 2010 at 11:01AM
The main part of the press release below, and the full release after the break.
Blizzard PRPARIS, France. -- December 13, 2010 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft®: Cataclysm™, the third expansion for the critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), sold through more than 3.3 million copies as of its first 24 hours of release*, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time. This milestone eclipses the previous record of more than 2.8 million copies sold in 24 hours, set in November 2008 by Blizzard's second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King®.
Blizzard PRWORLD OF WARCRAFT®: CATACLYSM™ SHATTERS PC-GAME SALES RECORD
PARIS, France. -- December 13, 2010 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft®: Cataclysm™, the third expansion for the critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), sold through more than 3.3 million copies as of its first 24 hours of release*, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time. This milestone eclipses the previous record of more than 2.8 million copies sold in 24 hours, set in November 2008 by Blizzard's second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King®.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm was simultaneously released in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand on December 7, and became available in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on December 9. More than 10,000 stores throughout the world opened their doors at midnight to welcome players who wanted to be among the first to obtain a copy of the expansion. In addition, more than 15,000 players attended official launch events hosted by Blizzard and key retail partners in the US, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, and the region of Taiwan.
"We had to bring Azeroth to the brink of destruction in Cataclysm, but the result was our best expansion yet," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We want to thank all of our new, existing, and returning players throughout the world for their incredible enthusiasm and support, and we look forward to hearing what they think about all the new content."
Prior to the launch of Cataclysm, World of Warcraft's subscriber population had grown to more than 12 million players globally, further strengthening the game's position as the world's most popular subscription-based MMORPG. More information about the new expansion can be found at the official Cataclysm website: eu.blizzard.com/en-gb/games/cataclysm/.
To keep pace with the continued growth of World of Warcraft as well as development on other Blizzard Entertainment® games, the company is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on career opportunities available at Blizzard Entertainment can be found at eu.blizzard.com/jobs/.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment's track record includes thirteen #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Blizzard Entertainment generally uses words such as "outlook," "will," "could," "would," "might," "remains," "to be," "plans," "believes," "may," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "estimate," future," "plan," "positioned," "potential," "project," "remain," "scheduled," "set to," "subject to," "upcoming" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales levels of Blizzard Entertainment's titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the impact of the current macroeconomic environment, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Blizzard Entertainment's products, competition from the used game market, industry competition and competition from other forms of entertainment, rapid changes in technology, industry standards and consumer preferences, including interest in specific genres such as real-time strategy, action–role-playing and massively multiplayer online games, protection of proprietary rights, litigation against Blizzard Entertainment, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, licensees, licensors, vendors and third-party developers, including the ability to attract, retain and develop key personnel and developers who can create high quality "hit" titles, counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors and manufacturers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates and tax rates, and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities, and the other factors identified in the risk factors section of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
PARIS, France. -- December 13, 2010 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft®: Cataclysm™, the third expansion for the critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), sold through more than 3.3 million copies as of its first 24 hours of release*, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time. This milestone eclipses the previous record of more than 2.8 million copies sold in 24 hours, set in November 2008 by Blizzard's second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King®.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm was simultaneously released in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand on December 7, and became available in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on December 9. More than 10,000 stores throughout the world opened their doors at midnight to welcome players who wanted to be among the first to obtain a copy of the expansion. In addition, more than 15,000 players attended official launch events hosted by Blizzard and key retail partners in the US, Canada, France, Germany, Russia, Sweden, the Netherlands, Spain, the UK, and the region of Taiwan.
"We had to bring Azeroth to the brink of destruction in Cataclysm, but the result was our best expansion yet," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We want to thank all of our new, existing, and returning players throughout the world for their incredible enthusiasm and support, and we look forward to hearing what they think about all the new content."
Prior to the launch of Cataclysm, World of Warcraft's subscriber population had grown to more than 12 million players globally, further strengthening the game's position as the world's most popular subscription-based MMORPG. More information about the new expansion can be found at the official Cataclysm website: eu.blizzard.com/en-gb/games/cataclysm/.
To keep pace with the continued growth of World of Warcraft as well as development on other Blizzard Entertainment® games, the company is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on career opportunities available at Blizzard Entertainment can be found at eu.blizzard.com/jobs/.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment's track record includes thirteen #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active players.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Information in this press release that involves Blizzard Entertainment's expectations, plans, intentions or strategies regarding the future are forward-looking statements that are not facts and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Blizzard Entertainment generally uses words such as "outlook," "will," "could," "would," "might," "remains," "to be," "plans," "believes," "may," "expects," "intends," "anticipates," "estimate," future," "plan," "positioned," "potential," "project," "remain," "scheduled," "set to," "subject to," "upcoming" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause Blizzard Entertainment's actual future results to differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements set forth in this release include, but are not limited to, sales levels of Blizzard Entertainment's titles, shifts in consumer spending trends, the impact of the current macroeconomic environment, the seasonal and cyclical nature of the interactive game market, declines in software pricing, product returns and price protection, product delays, retail acceptance of Blizzard Entertainment's products, competition from the used game market, industry competition and competition from other forms of entertainment, rapid changes in technology, industry standards and consumer preferences, including interest in specific genres such as real-time strategy, action–role-playing and massively multiplayer online games, protection of proprietary rights, litigation against Blizzard Entertainment, maintenance of relationships with key personnel, customers, licensees, licensors, vendors and third-party developers, including the ability to attract, retain and develop key personnel and developers who can create high quality "hit" titles, counterparty risks relating to customers, licensees, licensors and manufacturers, domestic and international economic, financial and political conditions and policies, foreign exchange rates and tax rates, and the identification of suitable future acquisition opportunities, and the other factors identified in the risk factors section of Activision Blizzard's most recent annual report on Form 10-K and any subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. The forward-looking statements in this release are based upon information available to Blizzard Entertainment and Activision Blizzard as of the date of this release, and neither Blizzard Entertainment nor Activision Blizzard assumes any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements believed to be true when made may ultimately prove to be incorrect. These statements are not guarantees of the future performance of Blizzard Entertainment or Activision Blizzard and are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, some of which are beyond its control and may cause actual results to differ materially from current expectations.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm has destroyed Azeroth as we know it; nothing is the same! In WoW Insider's Guide to Cataclysm, you can find out everything you need to know about WoW's third expansion, from brand new races to revamped quests and zones. Visit our Cataclysm news category for the most recent posts having to do with the Cataclysm expansion.Filed under: Cataclysm
Reader Comments (Page 2 of 4)
Drakkenfyre Dec 13th 2010 3:05PM
Panda Express? You mean Pandaren Xpress?
You understand that was an April Fool's joke, right? There was no cross-over tie-in with any Chinese food place.
Samwise Didier likes pandas. He drew an image of a fighting panda as a joke. He sneaks pandas into tons of stuff. Illidan's Warglaives have panda faces on the handle in WarCraft 3. He created the idea of playable Pandaren as a joke. The "Pandaren Xpress" was an April Fool's joke about being able to order Chinese food in the game. It had absolutely nothing to do with a real life restaurant.
Before you spread more misinformation, you should read up on the actual history of Pandarens.
http://www.wowpedia.org/Pandaren
Bronwyn Dec 13th 2010 8:50PM
Did we all just get trolled by Bristae?
alpha5099 Dec 13th 2010 11:24AM
Ah, I'd just been wondering last night when we'd hear some sale figures. Can't say anyone'll be surprised.
Shammwich Dec 13th 2010 11:26AM
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-looking Statements: Is that for realz? Like, seriously?
Rob Dec 13th 2010 12:48PM
Yes seriously. It's made for investors so people take what the presser is saying with a huge grain of salt, so you don't say invest your entire wad on a video game company only to discover say, they go bankrupt or something. That way you can't turn around and say 'well you promised me this in the presser'. Essentially that's the gist of it.
Hangk Dec 13th 2010 2:00PM
Correct. Boilerplate like this is found in similar form on the public statements of all publicly-traded companies. Basically it means "Don't use (only) the contents of this press release in making your investment decisions; the fact that we are reporting good news today does not necessarily mean that the company will always be successful in the future." Making statements like this ensures that potential investors are fully informed as to the potential risks, which protects them from potential shareholder lawsuits.
Priestess Dec 14th 2010 1:05AM
I thought the SAME thing, but not about the content of the paragraph itself. As I was going cross-eyed trying to read through it, I did a Control-F hunting for the end of the sentence. There's no period in more than half that thing, and probably more commas than a PhD thesis.
Greg Dec 13th 2010 11:28AM
I'll drink to that!
Toddo Dec 13th 2010 11:31AM
I'm surprised, actually.
Twowolves Dec 13th 2010 11:42AM
I say, good show, old chaps!
Candina@WH Dec 13th 2010 11:43AM
It's a nice number. But how much of that number are purchase on the day of the 7th?
I have a feeling that BlizzAct is counting all pre-orders as 'on the day of' purchases. Something to the effect of 'activated 3.3 MM copies of Cataclysm, vs. 'SOLD' 3.3 MM copies of Cataclysm.
If they are not, then the 3.3MM is understated. which would make it all the more impressive.
Castor27 Dec 13th 2010 12:13PM
All games count presale as first day sales. I preordered mine in the summer, they aren't counting me as a sale of an unreleased game on that day. It is the same with movies and music too. If you buy a movie ticket on Tuesday for a Friday release, they don't count you as seeing the movie on Tuesday, you go in with the people that saw it on Friday. If you buy a pre sale game in October for a November release, they don't count you as owning an unreleased game, they count it when you actually get the box in hand and can play it.
Candina@WH Dec 13th 2010 12:18PM
re Castor:
that is the generally accepted accounting method. You book the revenue when the item is used, not sold, for presale items.
Which is probably why they used the words 'Sold Through'. However, if they use the phrase 'Sold within 24 hours', then they are being misleading. because they did not make the 'sale' on 12/7 - they booked the sales revenue on 12/7. It is an important distinction.
Iirdan Dec 13th 2010 5:18PM
Does it honestly make a difference? 3.3 million players were excited enough about the game to purchase a copy in time for the launch date. That's the key point here. When and how they obtained the money is irrelevant as long as they obtained it. And they did.
Amaxe Dec 13th 2010 8:22PM
Do they go by preorders? Or by preorders which went through? I mean I preordered and canceled for example
dogmagamer Dec 13th 2010 11:44AM
Did it beat ball-in-a-cup!
Deathknighty Dec 13th 2010 11:52AM
Wait, so around 9 million players DIDN'T BUY IT IN THE FIRST 24 HOURS???
Lemons Dec 13th 2010 12:42PM
We need to find those losers and beat them up. That's street justice.
ThunderMonkey Dec 13th 2010 12:20PM
That is one crazy-ass disclaimer.
Toucan Dec 13th 2010 12:33PM
I know it is just me, but at the end of BC (when I started) I felt this palpable excitement in the general press, even, for WotLK.
There were factors, of course, like the culmination of the one fo the most popular stories in the lore, and the introduction of a lot of great mechanics and accesbility of design that ensured that the majority of the player base could play the game to the very end if they chose.
I can remember many more ads taken out in the general press announcing that the box set would go on sale.
For CATA, I know I am jaded now but I also felt that so was the press as a whole. There seemed to be less coverage, fewer ads in the paper, and long gone are the "what's your game?" tv ads that probably did a lot to draw in curious onlookers.
Blizzard seems to be in the enviable position of only having to advertise just so much due to the huge popularity of the game and free coverage it gets from all the community sites and blogs.
Regardless, I am as happy as ever to be with this expansion. I am in a guild that has a solid base, is drama free, has members who were getting lots done even without the incentive of the new guild mechanics, and thankfully has a place for my pally tank and by extention for me.
Should be another great 1+ years of raiding and achieving.