This is more of a public service announcement than anything else. Blizzard Entertainment Inc. announced that their subscriber base for their immensely popular World of Warcraft now tips the scales at 11 million. With a revenue stream as high as some small countries, and a population to match, Blizzard has really been pushing the levels of success with their MMO and continues to demonstrate that they know exactly what they are doing. On the doorstep of the four year anniversary of the game, the second expansion pack Wrath of the Lich King is set to drop and bring back all those who may have broken the habit.

It’s getting to a point when you need to sit and wonder, where does it stop? With a life cycle as long as some video game consoles have had in the past, Blizzard’s success is very hard to match in the current state of the industry. There are some past parallels in the MMO landscape, however, with EverQuest enjoying a successful run in the 5 years between the original and the sequel. Of course, EQ wasn’t necessarily the cultural success that WoW is today, entering as part of the lexicon synonymous with PC gaming and, in some parts, video game addiction. That coupled with the fact that WoW continues to grow at such a steady pace (another 2 million since last year) that it may be taking a little bit longer to dethrone.

Looking at another company enjoying a runaway success is Nintendo, and a lot of parallels can be drawn. Neither company feels the needs to go with industry standards, but feel more comfortable taking risks and trying to set trends. Both have gathered extremely devoted fans, dating back to their original and now storied franchises, and have ridden the success of their most established work to garner huge profits. Both are easily underestimated, as well, and the careful planning that goes into every decision is evident by the incredible sales that both are showing right now.

In terms of Blizzard, what is likely to take the seat of power in the MMO landscape going forward is still yet to be seen. Based on the lifecycle of even the most popular online games, the replacement for most games usually takes about 4 years to come to a head. Many companies have made attempts at taking on the powerhouse, but it seems that they are defying the standard expectations for just how long people will be playing their game. It’s likely that as the world shifts further into the home console market, the first big player in cross-platform MMO play on any current gen console will be the next big thing, as long as it is done right. As long as someone is willing to take risks, they could be the ones watching a growing stock, an increasing server load, and a money pile that would shame some of the world’s developing countries.