MMO-Champion - WoW Loses 1.1 Million Subscibers, Down to 9.1 Million

WoW Loses 1.1 Million Subscribers, Down to 9.1 Million

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WoW Loses 1.1M Subscribers, Down to 9.1M
Activision Blizzard latest earning call revealed that World of Warcraft lost another 1,100,000 subscribers last quarter, bringing us down to 9.1 million players. Some things they made note of on the call are below.

Notes
  • 16.9 million Battle.net users logged in last month, up from 10 million just 3 months ago.
  • 10 million D3 copies sold, with 1.2 million of those from the Annual Pass. It was the best-selling PC game for the first six months of 2012.
  • Most of the WoW Subscription losses were from the East.
  • Losses are from people playing Diablo 3 and leaving for other things to do until the new expansion.
  • Mists of Pandaria will utilize TV and online ads leading up to the launch.
  • The China launch Mists of Pandaria will launch as soon as possible, not likely in Q3.
  • 4.7 million people watched the event at MLG for Heart of the Swarm.

Slides


Previous Subscription Losses
  • Q1 2011 - 600,000 subscribers lost
  • Q2 2011 - 300,000 subscribers lost
  • Q3 2011 - 800,000 subscribers lost
  • Q4 2011 - 100,000 subscribers lost.
  • Q1 2012 - 0 subscribers lost.
  • Q2 2012 - 1,100,000 subscribers lost.

Originally Posted by Blizzard Entertainment
At June 30, 2012, the worldwide subscriber base for World of Warcraft was 9.1 million, compared to a subscriber base of 10.2 million at March 31, 2012, and 11.1 million at June 30, 2011, with a greater loss of subscribers in the East than in the West for both the 3-month and 12-month periods (in which the “East” includes China, Taiwan, and Korea, and the “West” includes the regions of North America and Europe).

Contributing factors to the lower subscribers were likely the launch of Diablo III in the quarter, which provided consumers with an alternative gaming experience to World of Warcraft (although Diablo III has not yet launched in China), as well as the lack of new content patches in all geographies resulting in less overall game play. Looking forward, Blizzard Entertainment expects to release World of Warcraft: Mists of Pandaria™ on September 25, 2012, which will deliver new game content in all regions that is expected to further appeal to the gaming community (with availability in mainland China to be announced at a later date).
This article was originally published in forum thread: WoW Loses 1.1 Million Subscibers, Down to 9.1 Million started by chaud View original post
Published on 2012-08-02 08:39 PM
1212 Comments
Comments 1206 Comments
  1. Thatwsntmilk's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Nyzzeh View Post
    I don't understand how they still have 9 millions.
    Me neither. But many people (like myself) are still stuck with annual pass.
  1. jeremynative's Avatar
    if guild wars 2 takes a lot of players from wow, bliz will either create a lot more content and listen to player community(free stuff like xfers and merging of servers) or they will abandon it (like diablo 3 it seems). if guild wars 2 doesnt do well then blizz will know they still have the mmo monopoly :P
  1. KrazyK923's Avatar
    Oh boy...the sky is falling.
  1. Sackman's Avatar
    For some reason.. the decline in subs makes me want to try MoP...

    Shows how important community is lol and how a big community generally sucks.
  1. Kuja's Avatar
    Am I the only one who thinks the 0 subs lost is a lie? First 100k lost, then 0 o.o Then 1.1 mil O.O
  1. Steelstrider's Avatar
    Numbers prove everything when it comes down to this debate, but I still highly believe that WoW is going down a dark path currently partly due to Blizzard listening to a certain low end player base that wants to whine and cry about content. Also because of LFR...LFR should only work for previous raids, not current ones.
  1. Zehroh's Avatar
    Glad to be part of it. Was already bored with WoW before DS and DS really made my decision of quiting easier. Also the lack of server merges and not really listening to the playerbase. I just visited my realm forum and it's still dead. While 6 months ago blizzard said they were 'looking for a solution'. I really hope the subbase will decline furthermore.

    Also not interested in super panda adventures.
  1. dirk123's Avatar
    MoP looks great and will probably get some subs back, however I am not buying MoP until at least 1 patch has been released.

    Don't want another "4.1 Rise of the Zandalari" or lackluster DS like raid to suddenly happen after great base MoP content >_>
  1. FixDestruNow's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Zehroh View Post
    Glad to be part of it. Was already bored with WoW before DS and DS really made my decision of quiting easier. Also the lack of server merges and not really listening to the playerbase. I just visited my realm forum and it's still dead. While 6 months ago blizzard said they were 'looking for a solution'. I really hope the subbase will decline furthermore.

    Also not interested in super panda adventures.
    Same as me then!

    Blizzard says they got facts on that LFR is a success and players like it, but I mostly see dislikes about it. Would be fun to see where Blizzard got their facts from, but they haven´t said anything about it so far.

    And like you said: Pandas??? I don´t think so!!!
  1. Asatru's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by FixDestruNow View Post
    Same as me then!

    Blizzard says they got facts on that LFR is a success and players like it, but I mostly see dislikes about it. Would be fun to see where Blizzard got their facts from, but they haven´t said anything about it so far.

    And like you said: Pandas??? I don´t think so!!!
    I got full 384 gear from Raid Finder. I view it as a success.
  1. TheOne's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Asatru View Post
    I got full 384 gear from Raid Finder. I view it as a success.
    I logged in and got free epics too, until it got boring getting things for little to no effort.
  1. Aildrik's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by TheOne View Post
    I logged in and got free epics too, until it got boring getting things for little to no effort.
    LFR really feels like an abomination. When I think back on the old content that really took some effort to learn and overcome; Ragnaros, BWL, etc - there was a certain level of excitement because of the effort it took to see that content. Same with some of the TBC stuff like Lady Vashj and Kael'Thas. Now, that content is presented in baby bear, mama bear and papa bear mode; it feels cheap - more like an amusement ride.
  1. Soratrox's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Aildrik View Post
    old content that really took some effort to learn and overcome; Ragnaros, BWL
    Hahahaha.
    Good one.

    And like you said: Pandas??? I don´t think so!!!
    I never understood this sentiment.
    Pandaren are more serious than gnomes, goblins, or draenei.
  1. FixDestruNow's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Aildrik View Post
    LFR really feels like an abomination. When I think back on the old content that really took some effort to learn and overcome; Ragnaros, BWL, etc - there was a certain level of excitement because of the effort it took to see that content. Same with some of the TBC stuff like Lady Vashj and Kael'Thas. Now, that content is presented in baby bear, mama bear and papa bear mode; it feels cheap - more like an amusement ride.
    I agree with you.

    WoW will go downhill aslong as Blizzard has that content killer (LFR) up and running. People will get bored quicker and probably quit playing the game because of lack of new content.
  1. lolo855's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Bulli85 View Post
    Diablo didn't have much to do with this since people that play Diablo and WoW at the same time got the annual pass, since they get Diablo for free while still being subbed to WoW. Numbers decline cause WoW is just old and mists doesn't bring anything new to the table.. it's the same game it has been for a long long time
    God this decline 2 months before the xpack has been there every single xpack because people take a break, it's also vacation for a lot of people, diablo came out, and no not everyone who got diablo had an annual pass ( only 2 million out of 8 ), I myself ended my sub untill MoP to play some diablo 3 and some other games because my guild stopped raiding anyway.

    A lot of people are in this situation and that's why there is a decline, no wow isn't going to end ...
  1. Repefe's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Soratrox View Post
    I never understood this sentiment.
    Pandaren are more serious than gnomes, goblins, or draenei.
    They may be more serious but Blizz fails to present them that way. I still remember watching WotLK trailer for the first time ... so psyched. When they announced MoP many ppl thought they were making a practical joke. If I was advertising the expansion pandarens should be the last think I would be talking about, not the main topic and I definitelly wouldn't put them on the cover of the box. Then again maybe the expansion is for different audience and pandas is what it's all about.
  1. SimplyJuice's Avatar
    Man that's a lot of people. Think of all the money they are losing each and every month. And Forbes just put out a piece really painting a gloomy road ahead for Blizzard.

    I am sure glad I quit, because my server would be a ghost town now! And it wasn't due to Diablo. Nor vacation. Nor am I waiting on an expansion. The game just simply isn't modern for today's 2012 gamer. 500k to 1 million people leaving every quarter...ouch. The best days are well behind them.
  1. Venziir's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Repefe View Post
    They may be more serious but Blizz fails to present them that way. I still remember watching WotLK trailer for the first time ... so psyched. When they announced MoP many ppl thought they were making a practical joke. If I was advertising the expansion pandarens should be the last think I would be talking about, not the main topic and I definitelly wouldn't put them on the cover of the box. Then again maybe the expansion is for different audience and pandas is what it's all about.
    You haven't seen the MoP trailer - it hasn't been released yet, so why on earth are you comparing the Wotlk trailer to a non-existant trailer?
  1. Repefe's Avatar
    Quote Originally Posted by Venziir View Post
    You haven't seen the MoP trailer - it hasn't been released yet, so why on earth are you comparing the Wotlk trailer to a non-existant trailer?
    Ok I am comparing it to the Blizzcon presentation which was utter fail in my mind, no way around it.
  1. Army Dreamer's Avatar
    10 million D3 copies sold, with 1.2 million of those from the Annual Pass. It was the best-selling PC game for the first six months of 2012.
    Wish I could get my money back.
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