Blizzard Entertainment has today confirmed that the number of subscribers to MMO World of Warcraft has topped nine million for the first time. The game, which launched back in 2004, has arguably become synonymous with the genre, single-handedly pushing many publishers into developing and releasing their own MMOs with mixed results.

"We're thrilled that gamers around the world have continued to embrace World of Warcraft so enthusiastically," said Mike Morhaime, president and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We've worked hard to provide a compelling experience for our players, and we plan to continue updating the game with exciting new content for them to enjoy for many years to come."

It's taken WoW over seven months to attract an extra million subscribers, following January's announcement of 8 million. The title originally attracted around 3.5 million gamers within the first month of launching back in 2004, and enjoyed a further boost when Burning Crusade, the first expansion pack, was released.

News of the latest figures comes as DC Comics announced a new comic book set in the world of Azeroth.