Activision has released information that World of Warcraft is down 1 million subscribers. Activision has stated that most of the lost users are “from the east but, there’s some in the west as well.” This news has brought their user population down to 8 million which is bounds less than it has been for years.
This game had nearly 12 million users at it’s peak and with the new extension pack Mists of Panderia was still at 10 million users. This news is saddening because this company which has generated steam for so long seems to be falling off. I don’t think the game will make it past the next two patches.
Activision spoke that the decline raises problems, “as do continued challenges in the global economy. For these reasons, we remain cautious. However, our focused and disciplined approach to our business has served us well in the past, and through continued investment and careful management of our costs, we expect to continue delivering shareholder value over the long term as we have for the last 20 years.”
To users who have played that is a massive stereotype and stipulation to players. Statements such as the game is the equivalency of smoking crack. Many players are on their computer constantly playing and creating a stigma of friends through it. Some stories even exist of people getting married through the game. With this community lessening as the days go by, what is going to fill the addiction when there are no more users and it’s completely fallen off the circuit? I do not know the answer to this, however I know some WoW junkies are going to be joining for a fix that a lot of games do not have the recipe to counter.