Each time a new World of Warcraft expansion launches, it seems to out-do the previous one in terms of sales. The case is no different for the recently launched Shadowlands expansion, which Blizzard claims is the “fastest-selling PC game of all time industry-wide”.
Previously, the fastest selling PC-only game was Diablo III – another Blizzard title, prior to the announcement of console versions, which came later on. Back at launch, Diablo III sold 3.5 million copies worldwide. World of Warcraft: Shadowlands beats this record with 3.7 million copies sold so far.
Aside from high sales, Blizzard boasts “strong engagement” from the WoW community. In the months leading up to Shadowlands' release, WoW reached and sustained “its highest number of players on monthly or longer-term subscriptions” compared to the same period for any previous WoW expansion in the last decade.
Speaking about this achievement, Blizzard Entertainment President, J. Allen Brack, said: “It’s been a huge thrill to enter this whole-new dimension of the Warcraft universe together with millions of players around the world. It’s been equally rewarding to see players enjoying all of the new features and content in Shadowlands—whether they’re exploring new aspects of their characters with the Covenants or setting foot in WoW for the first time with the new-player experience in Exile’s Reach—and there’s much more to come.”
Blizzard will attempt to keep players logging in in the weeks and months to come with a new raid, new dungeons and other content updates. The first PvP competitive season is also due to begin soon.
KitGuru Says: Have many of you jumped back into WoW for the latest expansion? How are you finding Shadowlands so far?