Lich King claims 2.8M souls in 24 hours
Second World of Warcraft expansion officially fastest-selling PC title of all time following beyond-brisk day-one sales.
As only the second expansion to an 11 million-player massively multiplayer game, there was little doubt that World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King would sell well. Today, developer-publisher Blizzard Entertainment told the world exactly how well, announcing the add-on had sold a staggering 2.8 million copies in its first 24 hours on the market. GameStop reported that the expansion is already their top-selling PC title of 2008. Although currency fluctuations and discounts prevent an accurate estimation of the expansion's exact take, 2.8 million units at the US price point of $39.99 stacks up to nearly $108 million.
Wrath of the Lich King's launch was heralded by 15,000 midnight launch events worldwide. Whether they were in the US, UK, or Australia, all events were mobbed by fans whipped into a frenzy by a steady drumbeat of hype. The fact that it has been nearly two years since the first WOW expansion, The Burning Crusade, also played a large part. That game, too, shattered records when it sold 2.4 million copies in the 24 hours after its launch on January 17, 2007, back when WOW only had 8 million subscribers.
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King will raise the level cap to 80 and will add new abilities and talents to all classes. It also introduces the Death Knight hero class and a new profession--inscription--that will let players permanently enhance spells and abilities. The expansion also adds new character-customization options, as well as a massive new realm, Northrend. For more details on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage, and check back soon for a full review.
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