Great news for fans of WOW.
Starting November 23, _World of Warcraft®_ players around the globe began their journey into the unknown reaches of Azeroth’s afterlife in Shadowlands; the game’s highly anticipated eighth expansion. Today, Blizzard Entertainment announced that as of the first full day of _Shadowlands’_ launch, more than 3.7 million units had sold through globally, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time industry-wide.* The previously announced industry record-holder, Blizzard’s own _Diablo® III,_ sold through more than 3.5 million copies as of its first day of release. Today’s announcement confirms that _Shadowlands_ has surpassed that milestone as well as any other reported sell-through achievement for the same time frame among all PC games historically. In addition, _World of Warcraft_ has continued to see strong engagement from the global community franchise-wide:† * In the months leading up to the expansion’s release and the time since launch, the game __ reached and has sustained its **highest number of players on monthly or longer-term subscriptions** compared to the same period ahead of and following any _WoW_ expansion in the past decade, in both the West and the East. * Players have spent **more time in Azeroth __ year to date** than in the same period of any of the last 10 years. * In addition, total player time in game this year to date has nearly doubled compared to the same period last year. “It’s been a huge thrill to enter this whole-new dimension of the Warcraft __ universe together with millions of players around the world,” said J. Allen Brack, president of Blizzard Entertainment. “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.” The launch of _Shadowlands_ is just the beginning of an adventure __ unlike anything ever before experienced in _World of Warcraft,_ with much more in store for players in the weeks and months ahead. Starting today, _Shadowlands_ Season 1 commences when the gates to the **** expansion’s first raid, **Castle Nathria** —the gothic stronghold of Revendreth—open in Normal and Heroic difficulties. **Mythic Keystone dungeons** will also become available, tempting Azeroth’s heroes with greater rewards for taking on increased challenges. This season’s dungeon affix, Prideful, turns heroes’ own sense of accomplishment against them in the form of ego-wrought manifestations. In addition, players will be able to put their skills to the ultimate test in Arenas and Battlegrounds as the expansion’s first **Rated PvP** season begins.
