Blizzard Entertainment has announced that its hugely popular MMO World of Warcraft (WoW) has reached yet another milestone. Since its debut in 2004, the game has gained 10 million subscribers across the globe. More than 2.5 million people have signed up to play the game in North America and two million have subscribed in Europe. "Interest in the game has remained high in all regions, with thousands of new and returning players signing up through the holiday season," Blizzard stated.

WoW's momentum incredibly just doesn't seem to slow down. The MMO was the bestselling PC game of both 2005 and 2006 worldwide, and finished second only to its own expansion pack The Burning Crusade in 2007.

"It's very gratifying to see gamers around the world continuing to show such enthusiasm and support for World of Warcraft," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We're always pleased to welcome new players to the game, and we're looking forward to sharing the next major content update with the entire community in the months ahead."

Available in seven languages, with a Russian version in development (scheduled for release later this year), WoW's appeal is truly global. In addition to North America and Europe, the game is widely played in mainland China, Korea, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. It's this dominant online presence in Asia, of course, that made the Activision Blizzard merger such an important deal for Activision.

Blizzard is currently working on the game's second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, which is expected to hit the market later this year.