World of Warcraft reaches 9 million subscribers

In a press release on their website, Blizzard announced that their subscriber base to World of Warcraft has now reached the 9 million mark, which seems to have dismissed earlier rumoured claims that the subscriber base was on the downfall. The 9 million figure is a sum of all their international realms (Europe, US, China etc).  

Many have asked whether the 9 million mark includes previous cancelled subscriptions and expired accounts. In the announcement, Blizzard made clear the definition of what 'subscriber' entailed:

World of Warcraft subscribers include individuals who have paid a subscription fee or have an active prepaid card to play World of Warcraft, as well as those who have purchased the game and are within their free month of access. Internet Game Room players who have accessed the game over the last thirty days are also counted as subscribers. The above definition excludes all players under free promotional subscriptions, expired or cancelled subscriptions, and expired prepaid cards. Subscribers in licensees’ territories are defined along the same rules.

One interesting point the press release highlights is the fact that mainland China has yet to see the release of the first expansion "The Burning Crusade". In the European and US servers, the release of the expansion saw unsurpassed sales figures (2.4 million in 24 hours) and ignited both new interest in the title and brought several 'retired' players back into the World of Warcraft. The release in China, the country notorious for MMORPG addictions and Gold farming, will surely see that figure rise again (there are more than 3.5 million subscribers in China alone).