Blizzard is celebrating the launch of World of Warcraft Forever as a record-breaking event: according to the official WoW account, it's the biggest launch in the MMORPG's history. This is measured by peak concurrent players, meaning the number of players logged in simultaneously. Additionally, it has seen more returning players than ever before.
The announcement came over the weekend after the November 4 launch via the official X account for World of Warcraft. Holly Longdale, Executive Producer and Vice President of WoW, followed up, stating that Forever has attracted the most new players for a WoW launch in 15 years. The last comparable increase was with Cataclysm in 2010.
What does “biggest launch ever” actually mean for WoW Forever?
Important note: Blizzard has not yet provided specific figures. Neither the peak values nor the number of returning or new players have been quantified. The record is therefore a statement from the publisher that we cannot currently verify. IGN compares the launch to major expansion launches like Wrath of the Lich King and Warlords of Draenor, which were long considered benchmarks.
The metric chosen is sound: Peak Concurrent Players shows how many people are in the game at the same time and is less susceptible to marketing tricks than sales figures. At the same time, it doesn't indicate how long people will stay. That will only become clear in the coming weeks.
New players instead of just nostalgia-driven returnees
More exciting than the peak for us is the statement regarding new players. Returnees are nothing unusual in WoW: every new content patch draws old acquaintances back. However, the fact that so many completely new accounts have been added, more than in over 15 years, suggests that the concept behind Forever is resonating. A fresh start without years of catching up seems to be exactly what many wanted.
This is our assessment, not a Blizzard statement: A record in both groups simultaneously is rare and a strong signal for a 20-year-old game. Whether this will lead to a permanently larger player base will only become apparent once the initial curiosity has faded.
Is everything running smoothly now?
A record influx usually has side effects. According to MassivelyOP, the actual launch, however, went largely smoothly, with a few minor hiccups such as overly aggressive layering that made some zones appear empty. Holly Longdale described the launch on X as “goodish.” With record numbers, further load peaks cannot be ruled out.
Anyone looking to join now should expect full servers and log in during quieter times.
Source: IGN, MassivelyOP, official WoW account on X (according to IGN)
Are you part of the Forever launch, and have you already reached max level, or did the queue deter you?
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