World of Warcraft subscriber numbers bounce back

The subscription MMO is dead, is it?

That’s what many would have you believe. But it appears that Activision Blizzard’s World of Warcraft isn’t sticking to the script.

Subscriber numbers for the game have risen beyond the 10m mark once more, having dipped to 9.1m in the company’s last financial quarter. The release of Mists of Pandaria was credited for the boost.

They’re still say way short of the 12m the game was enjoying in its heyday, but the news certainly bucks the script of those who think free-to-play will spell the end of subscriptions.

Other subscription MMOs are not faring so well, however. EA and BioWare in August decided to switch Star Wars: the Old Republic to a free-to-play model with subscriber numbers falling below 1m.