WORLD OF WARCRAFT:® THE BURNING CRUSADE™ SHATTERS DAY-1 SALES RECORD
IRVINE, Calif. - January 23, 2007 - Blizzard Entertainment® today announced that World of Warcraft®:
The Burning Crusade™ has broken the day-one sales record to become the fastest-selling PC game ever in North America and
Europe, with a worldwide total of nearly 2.4 million copies sold in the first 24 hours of availability. The Burning Crusade, the first expansion
set for World of Warcraft, was simultaneously released in North America, Europe, Singapore, Thailand, and Malaysia on January 16, and on
January 17 in Australia and New Zealand.
Blizzard had supplied more than 4 million game boxes to retailers worldwide, and more than 5,000 stores throughout the world had their doors
open at midnight to welcome thousands of expectant players.
Day-one sales totals on both continents were similar, with an estimated total of nearly 1.2 million copies sold on the first day in North
America and an estimated total of more than 1.1 million copies sold in Europe within the first 24 hours of launch.* By the end of the first
day of availability on both continents, a total of more than 1.7 million players had already logged in and upgraded World of Warcraft to
play The Burning Crusade.
"The Burning Crusade has already exceeded even our most ambitious expectations," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of
Blizzard Entertainment. "We're pleased that so many players are eager to see all of the new content that the expansion has to offer, and we look
forward to seeing everyone online as additional players continue to upgrade in the days ahead."
Retailers are continuing to report sustained demand, so if players have not yet purchased their copy of The Burning Crusade, they are advised
to call ahead to make sure their store has copies on hand. Additional shipments of the expansion have been routed to retailers to help maintain
stock levels.
"The immediate popularity of The Burning Crusade once again shows that Blizzard consistently delivers what gamers want," said Robert McKenzie,
senior vice president of merchandising at GameStop Corp. "In addition to setting a new day-one PC-game sales record at our GameStop and EB
Games stores, the expansion garnered more online pre-orders than any other PC game in our companyâs history."
Prior to the launch of The Burning Crusade, World of Warcraft was played by more than 8 million players around the world -- with more than
2 million on North American realms and more than 1.5 million on European realms -- making it the most successful subscription-based massively
multiplayer online role-playing game in PC-gaming history.
For more information on World of Warcraft: The Burning Crusade, please visit the official website for the
expansion at www.worldofwarcraft.com/burningcrusade.
*Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners.
About Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.
Best known for blockbuster hits including World of Warcraft® and the Warcraft®, StarCraft®, and Diablo® series, Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. (www.blizzard.com), a division of Activision Blizzard (NASDAQ: ATVI), is a premier developer and publisher of entertainment software renowned for creating some of the industry's most critically acclaimed games. Blizzard Entertainment's track record includes eleven #1-selling games and multiple Game of the Year awards. The company's online-gaming service, Battle.net®, is one of the largest in the world, with millions of active users.
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