History
World of Warcraft (commonly abbreviated as WoW) is a massively
multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) developed by Blizzard Entertainment.
It is the 4th game in the Warcraft series, excluding expansion packs and the
cancelled Warcraft Adventures: Lord of the Clans. The Warcraft games are set
in the aptly named Warcraft Universe, a fantasy setting introduced by Warcraft:
Orcs & Humans in 1994. World of Warcraft is set four years after the events
at the conclusion of Blizzard's previous release, Warcraft III: The Frozen
Throne, where the strategy portent of the series ends.
World of Warcraft is a radical departure from the standard real time simulation
play-style of other Warcraft themed games. Because of its low learning curve,
fun quests, easy level advancement with minimal grinding and low down-time,
World of Warcraft has become one of the most popular MMORPGs in the world,
with more than 6.0 million active subscriptions. The game is highly regarded
as a success, although its release was hampered with server stability and
performance issues which continue intermittently.
