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'World of Warcraft' Turns Five

by Terrence O'Brien on November 24, 2009 at 04:01 PM

'World of Warcraft' Turns Five

Monday marked the fifth birthday of the most successful, massively multi-player online game in history -- 'World of Warcraft.' 'WoW,' as it's otherwise known, is an expansion of the popular 'Warcraft' franchise, and has become far more successful than publisher Blizzard could have possibly imagined.

With more than 12 million subscribers worldwide, 'WoW' is a phenomenon and pop culture icon. It's been referenced and mocked by 'The Simpsons' and 'South Park,' has inspired restaurants, and has legions of celebrity fans, including Ozzy Osborne, William Shatner, and Mr. T. Thanks to its notoriously addictive game play, it's even been cited in divorce proceedings and has almost driven one teen to commit suicide.

Blizzard's games have always had long shelf lives. Its popular 'Diablo,' 'Warcraft,' and 'Starcraft' titles are still played by legions of fans who don't mind the aging graphics and dated game play. But 'WoW' is different. It's not the fact that people are still playing a game five years later that's so shocking. It's that, half a decade later, they're still willing to pay for it. And with a new expansion pack, 'Cataclysm,' expected to be released soon, the online universe shows no signs of slowing down.

Blizzard told the Telegraph it would be marking the fifth anniversary with some special in-game features, including new enemies for players to battle. 'World of Warcraft' has already proven its staying power and demonstrated more longevity than anyone could have predicted, and it's not hard to imagine that five years from now millions will still be getting their role-playing fix from this massive online universe. [From: Telegraph, via: FARK]

Tags: blizzard, gaming, top, World of Warcraft, world-of-warcraft, WorldOfWarcraft, wow

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