Can World of Warcraft get any bigger?

May 27th, 2010

With an incredible 11.5 million gamers paying $14/month, World of Warcraft is both the most widely played and most profitable video game in the world. But growth has been stagnant since 2008, something Blizzard Entertainment hopes to change later this year, with the release of the Cataclysm expansion pack.

"Whenever we launch an expansion we usually see some win-back from players who have set WoW aside temporarily," said Blizzard vice president Frank Pearce, in an interview with VG247. "Hopefully we will get some people back from Cataclysm as well."

When asked if the six year old World of Warcraft has peaked, Pearce said no. But he admitted, "There are certain things that we need to do well in order to see it go further."

That's not exactly what players are saying, however. "Nothing new is likely to draw me back," said one online commenter. "Playing from release through Wrath of the Lich King is enough to last a man a lifetime. No matter what new content comes, the gameplay itself is, primarily, the same."

Added another, "Unless I see some HUGE changes, Cataclysm will not get my dollars." Of course, there's nearly 12 million players that might prove otherwise.

On that note, do you intend to buy Cataclysm?

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