The king isn’t dead, perhaps, but maybe it’s dying.

Since October 2010, 1.7 million subscribers have abandoned World of Warcraft, with 1.1 million of those leaving since March 2011.

“I guess I can say this – the majority of the declines were in the East,” Blizzard boss Mike Morhaime told investors in a recent earnings call.

“China still represents more than half of our global player base and, historically, December has been a very good month for subscriber trends.”

Blizzard is doubtless also banking on its incoming Mists of Pandaria expansion to boost subscribers, as well as the new World of Warcraft Annual Pass which includes a 12-month subscription to the MMO plus a free copy of Diablo III and some bonus WoW goodies.

On the other hand, World of Warcraft turns seven this month, and it’s definitely starting to show its age a bit. Time for World of Warcraft II? Probably.

Source: Activision

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