Activision Blizzard has announced that World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the third expansion for the most popular subscription-based MMORPG available, has become the fastest-selling PC game of all time in terms of first-day sales. Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners, the company sold more than 3.3 million copies in its first 24 hours of release (that includes digital pre-sales).
The previous record was made in November 2008, also by Activision Blizzard. More than 2.8 million copies of the second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, were sold in 24 hours. Activision Blizzard also holds the record for the most sales of a video game in 24 hours, regardless of platform. Just last month, Call of Duty: Black Ops sold 5.6 million copies on its first day.
World of Warcraft: Cataclysm was simultaneously released in the US, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand on December 7. It became available in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on December 9.
"We had to bring Azeroth to the brink of destruction in Cataclysm, but the result was our best expansion yet," Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment, said in a statement. "We want to thank all of our new, existing, and returning players throughout the world for their incredible enthusiasm and support, and we look forward to hearing what they think about all the new content."