But total revenues for last quarter still up from previous year

World of Warcraft subscriptions plummet by 3m in three months

The subscription base for Blizzard’s fantasy MMO World of Warcraft fell by three million to 7.1m during the three months ending March 31st, according to Activision’s latest financial report.

Following the release of the latest expansion pack Warlords of Draenor last year; the number of subscribers had risen to more than ten million by the end of 2014. This has now fallen to similar levels seen last August, when subs were just under seven million.

Publisher Activision Blizzard said the decline was primarily attributed to the East, with a smaller decrease in the West. It noted however the average revenue per sub in the East was less than in the West.

Despite the fall in subscriptions, the firm plans to continue supporting the MMO with new game content in all regions.

Total net revenues at Activision Blizzard reached $1.28bn for the three months ending March 31st, up from $1.11bn during the same period last year. Revenues from subscriptions, licensing and other sources accounted for $494m, again up from the $342 reported in 2014.

Overall profits came in at $394m, $100m more than the publisher took during the same quarter last year.

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