‘Shadowlands’ has helped keep the 16-year-old MMO alive.
When you consider hot-selling PC games, you presumably think about the yearly Call of Duty release or Rockstar’s most recent blockbuster. In any case, the unsurpassed record has taken a (fairly) unforeseen turn. Snowstorm asserts that World of Warcraft: Shadowlands, development for its 16-year-old MMO, is presently the quickest-selling PC game “ever”.
Gamers purchased approximately 3.7 million duplicates worldwide in the game’s first full day of availability, surpassing the 3.5 million of the record holder — conveniently, Blizzard’s own Diablo III. The developer was likewise quick to point out that World of Warcraft was experiencing a recovery before the launch.
The online RPG had the highest number of bought-in parts in the months leading up to and following a development launch, compared to any point in the previous decade. More individuals have been playing year-to-date than in a similar period in any of the previous 10 years, Blizzard added, and all-out player time for the period “almost multiplied” compared to a similar point in 2019.
There are a few admonitions. Snowstorm is centered around paid games, not allowing players to participate in giveaways or play for free. The Total War Saga: Troy giveaway saw 7.5 million individuals guarantee a duplicate within 24 hours, for example. It’s also striking that other World of Warcraft expansions have followed — Cataclysm sold 3.3 million copies in 2010.
Shadowlands is progressing nicely, yet its untouched highs aren’t as high as they once were. We’d add that the COVID-19 pandemic may have assumed a critical function in take-up. In case you’re being careful at home as opposed to taking off, you’ll have considerably more an ideal opportunity to give to hours-long strikes and level crushing.
Even so, the revival is notable. World of Warcraft was one of the most popular games of any kind for a long time, but it has faded in recent years as rival online experiences and an aging engine have worked against it. Virtually any other MMO would have been on the cusp of shutting down if it hadn’t already. The question, of course, is whether or not this is sustainable. There is no guarantee people will keep playing as the pandemic (hopefully) eases in 2021.
If nothing else, this shows the Warcraft name still has a lot of value.
