Blizzard Entertainment’s World of Warcraft has become the most successful MMO in history. It’s closest rivals pale in comparison, with the combined subscription base of two of its closest competitors barely reaching one tenth of WoW’s 10 million subscribers. But what impact does Blizzard’s success with WoW have on its other franchises, and has WoW expanded/hindered Blizzard’s reputation as the ultimate creative machine?
 The crew over at Blizzard HQ in Irvine California have re-created Frankenstein. Little did they know when developing their first MMO that it would become the inspiring, groundbreaking, genre-defining leviathan that it has with an astonishing 8 million subscribers by its first expansion (Burning Crusade) and 10 million by 2008. The future seems bright for seventeen year old Blizzard, with the second expansion, Wrath of the Lich King, set for an imminent release. Lich King will undoubtedly increase the subscriber base which of course, will increase Blizzard’s big pile of gold. One may be forgiven for thinking that WoW is all Blizzard do. But of course, they do more!
Last year’s announcement of the sequel to the space RTS Starcraft, and the recent announcement of the third instalment to the rather disturbing Diablo series, remind us that WoW is not the only child in the extremely wealthy Blizzard family. So this is where the company faces new challenges.
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