- Fixed an issue players were having with the ‘Escape’ key causing the Battleground queue window to close.
- Fixed an issue players were having when attempting to enter a Battleground while dead or in combat when already in a Battleground.
- Fixed the Wintergrasp zone map so it now correctly shows the status of all keep walls.
- Fixed a crash Mac clients were experiencing with ATI driver.
- Fixed the performance of certain spells that have transparent components.
- Fixed an issue that prevented an item from being socketable after it is first obtained.

World of Warcraft English US Patch v. 3.2.2a
http://www.filefront.com/14618287/World-of-Warcraft-English-US-Patch-v.-3.2.2a-/

World of Warcraft English UK Patch v. 3.2.2a
http://www.filefront.com/14618285/World-of-Warcraft-English-UK-Patch-v.-3.2.2a/

World of Warcraft German Patch v. 3.2.2a
http://www.filefront.com/14618281/World-of-Warcraft-German-Patch-v.-3.2.2a/

World of Warcraft Spanish Patch v. 3.2.2a
http://www.filefront.com/14618289/World-of-Warcraft-Spanish-Patch-v.-3.2.2a/

World of Warcraft Russian Patch v. 3.2.2a
http://www.filefront.com/14618289/World-of-Warcraft-Spanish-Patch-v.-3.2.2a/

World of Warcraft English US Mac Patch v. 3.2.2a
http://www.filefront.com/14618303/World-of-Warcraft-English-US-Mac-Patch-v.-3.2.2a/

World of Warcraft English UK Mac Patch v. 3.2.2a
http://www.filefront.com/14618301/World-of-Warcraft-English-UK-Mac-Patch-v.-3.2.2a/

This patch will update your World of Warcraft installation to version 3.2.2.

US:
http://www.filefront.com/14580655/World-of-Warcraft-Patch-3.2.2-English-US/

German:
http://www.filefront.com/14580645/World-of-Warcraft-Patch-3.2.2-German-Patch/

UK:
http://www.filefront.com/14580651/World-of-Warcraft-Patch-3.2.2-English-UK/

Spanish:
http://www.filefront.com/14580657/World-of-Warcraft-Patch-3.2.2-Spanish-/

Spanish (Mexico):
http://www.filefront.com/14580665/World-of-Warcraft-Patch-3.2.2-Spanish—Mexico-/

French:
http://www.filefront.com/14580667/World-of-Warcraft-Patch-3.2.2-French-/

Russian:
http://www.filefront.com/14580669/World-of-Warcraft-Patch-3.2.2-Russian/

This patch will update your World of Warcraft installation to v. 3.2.0a. This hotfix addresses exploits and crash issues.

World of Warcraft v. 3.2.0a Hotfix Windows Patches
English (US):
http://www.filefront.com/14331983/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-enUS-patch.exe/
English (UK):
http://www.filefront.com/14331981/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-enGB-patch.exe/
French:
http://www.filefront.com/14331989/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-frFR-patch.exe/
German:
http://www.filefront.com/14331977/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-deDE-patch.exe/
Russian:
http://www.filefront.com/14331993/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-ruRU-patch.exe/
Spanish:
http://www.filefront.com/14331985/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-esES-patch.exe/
Spanish (MX):
http://www.filefront.com/14331987/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-esMX-patch.exe/

World of Warcraft v. 3.2.0a Hotfix Mac Patches
English (US):
http://www.filefront.com/14332001/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-enUS-patch-OSX.zip/
English (UK):
http://www.filefront.com/14331999/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-enGB-patch-OSX.zip/
French:
http://www.filefront.com/14332009/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-frFR-patch-OSX.zip/
German:
http://www.filefront.com/14331997/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-deDE-patch-OSX.zip/
Russian:
http://www.filefront.com/14332011/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-ruRU-patch-OSX.zip/
Spanish:
http://www.filefront.com/14332005/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-esES-patch-OSX.zip/
Spanish (MX):
http://www.filefront.com/14332007/WoW-3.2.0.10192-to-3.2.0.10314-esMX-patch-OSX.zip/

More details:

• Fixed an exploit players were using with / commands
• Fixed a performance issue with players logging into the game
• Fixed an issue with Mac clients freezing near water
• Fixed a crash Mac clients were experiencing with shadows on Fixed Function cards
• Fixed an art issue with Freya Hard Mode where the light beams were visually too hard to see
• Fixed an issue with Loaner mounts requiring Cold Weather Flying

Command and Conquer 4 Announcement Trailer Director’s Cut
This reprise of the announcement trailer for Command and Conquer 4 features Game Designer Sam Bass providing scene by scene commentary and background information on the trailer and the story.

In short, he refers to the recent rumors that Blizzard’s Chinese World of Warcraft servers aren’t going to be coming back up anytime soon. For those of you who aren’t aware, Blizzard recently transferred their license to operate WoW in China to NetEase, away from The9.

The9 filed several lawsuits in an attempt to stop this transfer, and the Chinese government accordingly refused to give NetEase a license to operate WoW, saying that “in order to protect the interests of domestic gaming enterprises,” they would “suspend review of all games belonging to foreign companies in the event of lawsuits or arbitration between foreign companies and Chinese companies.”

The Chinese servers have already been down for a month or so, and there’s still no word on when they might return. This really doesn’t hurt Blizzard as much financially as you might think, as they received little revenue from the Chinese players, who pay as little as 6 cents an hour to play.

But how does this get Blizzard down to 5 million subscribers?

Well, that number is admittedly an estimate, especially since Blizzard doesn’t release subscriber numbers by country…anymore. This number was arrived at by using the percentages from the last press release they revealed these numbers in, which as I recall was just after the release of The Burning Crusade expansion. However, it stands to reason that the country to country proportions wouldn’t shift that far from what they were then. After all, it’s not like WoW wasn’t already an established presence at that time. As Tobold himself explains in the comments of the post,

The source is the last Blizzard press release which still announced user numbers by continent. Unfortunately they stopped doing that a while ago, and we can only assume there have been no major shifts since then.

Blizzard has to be concerned about this. After all, their ‘11 million subscriber’ claim is without a doubt the 800 lb gorilla in the MMORPG room. If this outage continues, they will undoubtedly see players trickle away to other MMOs that are up and running. As we all know, once a player is gone and established elsewhere, it becomes difficult to lure them back.

Many of the affected players have moved to Taiwanese servers, especially those who raid regularly. As for the others, even if Blizzard were to lose every single subscriber, they’d still be somewhere between five and seven million (estimated) active subscribers. That’s still a massive base of playing customers, and it’s still the bulk of their income base, which makes me wonder: Why haven’t we heard about this from Blizzard already? I’d expect them to come out and try to get the court of public opinion on their side (not that it would make much difference to the Chinese government). Still, why haven’t they?

My questions: When will hear the details of this from Blizzard, and how long do you think those servers can remain down before they reach a point where they will not recover the majority of those players? Even more intriguing: Does this whole snafu have anything to do with Electronic Arts’ purchase of The9 in 2007?

1. Entertainment services, namely, providing on-line computer games; providing computer games that may be accessed via a global computer network; and providing on-line information in the field of computer gaming entertainment

2. Computer game software and related instruction manuals and guides sold together as a unit; downloadable computer game software; interactive multimedia computer game program; mousepads

3. Comic books, computer game strategy guides, trading cards, coloring books, adhesive stickers, rub-on transfers, notebooks, stationery-type portfolios, posters, greeting cards, calendars, instructional leaflets in the field of computer games, computer game instruction manuals, catalogs in the field of computer games, advertisement boards of paper or cardboard, photographs, art prints

So, now for the speculation: What in the world does all this mean?

Well, reading through the first description kinda makes you think that Cataclysm could be the new moniker for Battle.net. After all, providing online computer games would fit.

However, the second description makes me think that it could be a specific game, perhaps a new expansion for World of Warcraft, or one of those ‘un-named’ projects they’ve been hiring for. You’ve got boxed software, downloadable software, and a computer game program. Oh, and mousepads. Does anyone else think that one looks a bit out of place?

Finally, the third description could be a marketing campaign for either or both of the first two. After all, everyone knows the epic kind of marketing campaigns Blizzard can lay on if they really want to.

No matter what Cataclysm turns out to be, you can bet on two things: First, we’ll hear about it at Blizzcon in August. Second, it’ll sell like crazy.

OK, so now you get to add your speculation. What do you think this is going to turn out to be?

You can see the trademark listings at these three links:
Listing 1
Listing 2
Listing 3

UPDATE: Wow.com now says Blizzard has possibly acquired the domain name wowcataclysm.com. Kinda narrows down the old speculation, doesn’t it?

According to an article at InformationWeek, “the Chinese government has declared that virtual currency cannot be traded for real goods or services.”

Obviously, this was enormous news. Since it’s been estimated that 80-85% of the world’s gold farmers are located in China, this would have likely meant a huge drop in the amount of available virtual currency.

Unfortunately, there’s news today that the law being referenced actually does not reference gold farmers at all.

This morning I read that this ruling doesn’t apply to gold farmers at all. Over at ICTs for Development, Richard Heeks had the following to say,

This is a government restriction on the use of the quasi-Paypal-like currencies (mainly QQ coins) that are used extensively in China to pay for virtual game stuff. As announced they can now only be used to pay for virtual stuff, and you can’t buy real things with them as game companies were allowing to happen, nor can you gamble. This therefore is not about what gold farming clients do: use real money to buy these virtual currencies; it’s the mirror image. And it’s not about the major trade in gold farming such as World of Warcraft, which relates to other types of virtual currency. And it’s not about buying/selling in-game items. And it’s not about the power-levelling of avatars. Bottom line: it’s not about gold farming.

Thus it appears that all the furor and uproar over the last 24 hours was in vain. Apparently the Chinese government had no intention of stopping gold farming, which should come as no surprise. After all, it’s an industry that employs a lot of people and brings a lot of money into the country.

All this did get me thinking…who actually buys gold anymore? I mean with the current gold distribution in World of Warcraft rivaling our national debt, is there really a need for it anymore? Obviously some people think so, since the gold farmers are still in business. Personally, I’ve never understood the reasoning behind paying real money for pretend money.

Sure, you can argue that it’s just an extension of the concept of paying a monthly fee to play a game, but that a fallacious argument. After all, when you buy gold, you’re paying so you don’t have to play, and that whole concept just seems ridiculous to me.

Have you ever bought gold? Do you think it’s a defensible thing to do, or do you despise those who do it?

Death Knights and Warlocks weren’t so lucky and will find a few nerfs in place. Warriors and Druids break even and the Rogue Overkill Talent has been redesigned. See the complete World of Warcraft Patch 3.1.2-3.1.3 notes after the break.

Death Knights

• Frost Presence: Armor bonus is now 60% down from 80%.

Druids

• Improved Barkskin: This talent now also grants 80/160% additional armor while in Travel Form or not shapeshifted.
• Improved Tree of Life: The armor bonus to Tree of Life Form from this talent has been reduced to 67/133/200% bonus armor.

Hunters

• Hunter’s Mark: The ranged attack power bonus from this ability has been increased from 300 to 500.
• Master Marksman: This talent now also decreases the cost of Aimed Shot and Chimera Shot by 5/10/15/20/25%.

Paladins

• Eye For An Eye: This talent now deals 5/10% of the critical strike damage taken by the paladin back at the attacker.
• Hand of Freedom: The base duration of this buff has been reduced from 10 seconds to 6 seconds.

Rogues

• Overkill: Talent redesigned. Now increases energy regeneration by 30% while stealthed, and for 20 seconds after breaking stealth.

Warlocks

• Chaos Bolt: This spell no longer ignores damage reduction effects of the target.

Warriors

• Blood Frenzy: This talent now provides 5/10% haste instead of 3/6%.
• Bloodthirst: Cooldown reduced from 5 seconds to 4 seconds, and rage cost reduced from 30 rage to 20 rage.
• Juggernaut: This talent now also increases the cooldown on Charge by 5 seconds.

Items

• Death Knight PvP Gauntlets: The chance to refresh a Frost Rune when casting Chains of Ice has been removed. When equipped, these gloves now generate 5 additional runic power whenever Chains of Ice is used.

Dungeons

• Ulduar
  • Mimiron
    • The flight time of Rocket Strikes has been increased, and Rocket Strikes will try to prefer players at range.
    • The Leviathan Mk II component of the V-07-TR-0N will become stunned during Phase 4 when the VX-001 component begins to cast the P3Wx2 Laser Barrage ability.
    • Proximity mines now deal less damage and have a lower duration. A small arming time has also been added so proximity mines will not immediately detonate on creation.

Bug Fixes

• Druid Tier 8 Balance Set: The 4-piece bonus no longer has its effect consumed by Starfire casts in progress when it triggers. The chance for the effect to be triggered has been reduced down to 8%, as it was originally inflated to compensate.
• Ice Layered Barrier: Upgraded to item level 232. In addition, the stats in the tooltip have been correctly adjusted to 78 spell power, 48 haste rating, 16 mana per 5 seconds, 52 Intellect, and 50 Stamina.
• Pulsing Spellshield: The stats listed in the tooltip for this item were incorrect and have been adjusted. This item provides 69 spell power, 34 haste rating, 42 critical strike rating, 45 intellect, and 45 stamina.

Just a minute, I’ve got to adjust my soapbox before I talk about comparing playing violent videogames with accepting torture.

As the battle over torture rages through the media, Huffington Post columnist Kari Henley has taken the opportunity to  blame the acceptance of torture by some US citizens on violent videogames and other media. She insinuates that you can’t have both videogames and morals in her post “America Doesn’t Torture… We just play Grand Theft Auto “.

“I believe if we are going to truly come to terms with abiding by moral codes against extreme acts of violence, we first have to start in our own living rooms to explore the increased levels of violence we witness on a daily basis that serves as news or entertainment. We say we “don’t f**#$ torture,” yet Grand Theft Auto is our favorite video game.”

After raging on about the depravity of popular adult television series and movies, Henley once again lashes out at mature rated videogames labeling them trainers designed to turn children into killers.

“And what about these modern X-Box and online video games? While I happen to enjoy the “G” rated Wii, over 11 million people are spending their time engrossed in the World of Warcraft or Grand Theft Auto where the point is to go around and kill people in a calculated way. Tell me again why this is supposed to be fun and relaxing?

According to the research oriented Warrior Science Group, watching violence is a technique used in the military to train soldiers to become killers, and video games do the same thing: “Every time a child plays an interactive video game, he is learning the exact same conditioned reflex skills as a soldier or police officer in training.”

The games Ms. Henley mentions are for adults who should be able to separate reality from role-play. The games industry has worked hard to uphold a ratings system to encourage this. Miss Henley is clearly using the torture debate as a platform to promote her agenda as President of the Board of Directors at the Women & Family Life Center. She’s also showing how woefully ignorant of videogames she is. Thanks Kari for removing any lingering doubts.

To be fair the article does mention that “those most in favor of torture are churchgoers.” We all know how often that group plays GTA. Doesn’t quite hold up her argument does it.

Seems like a poster over on the F13 forums was told by a job recruitment type not to mention the fact that he plays MMOs. Supposedly, the recruiter told him that one of the employers he consults for specifically asked not to be sent people who play World of Warcraft.

According to the post:

I met with a recruiter recently (online media industry) and in conversation I happened to mention I’d spent way too much time in the early 2000s playing online games, which I described as “the ones before World of Warcraft” (I went nuts for EQ1, SWG and the start of WoW, but since 2006 I have only put a handful of days into MMOG playing – as opposed to discussing them – I’ve obsessed over bicycles and cycling instead).

He replied that employers specifically instruct him not to send them World of Warcraft players. He said there is a belief that WoW players cannot give 100% because their focus is elsewhere, their sleeping patterns are often not great, etc.

I mentioned that some people have written about MMOG leadership experience as a career positive or a way to learn project management skills, and he shook his head. He has been specifically asked to avoid WoW players.

For one thing, I can understand this on some level, but so what if it is a videogame? It could be a number of things that the person does when not at work that can lead to being a less than suitable employee. There is excessive drinking, whoring, knitting, dog training, working out, getting high all night, MMO grinding, reading into all hours of the night, clubbing, your kids myriad of different sporting events you have to attend, a TV marathon of “My Big Redneck Wedding”, the wife/husband/mother-in-law bitching and yelling all night, insomnia, chronic masturbation habits, just being a crap employee– a number of things can make a person less worthwhile on the job. Don’t just blame MMOs, and if you have hired a load of people who play these games for your company, that means you are an industry that appeals to gamer types any way so get used to it. It could just as easily be some multiplayer “shoot em up” on Xbox LIve that is keeping them up all night.

I understand productivity in the workplace, and as someone who comes from a managerial background, I have no need to know what an employee does when they are not at work. It is none of my business. I also know that (at least where I live) this could be considered discrimination in some respects and get you into some hot water. While people who do play online games have a tendency to stay up late grinding or raiding away into the night, not all gamers who play this genre are irresponsible louts who suck the clock at work. Granted, if a WoW player were slacking off at work because they were too tired to work, yes, I would probably fire them if they kept it up. But the same goes for anyone, not just an MMO player. Not all MMO players will be too tired to work and to generalize a particular person such as this recruitment customer has is just the wrong thing to do. It’s like saying that all beer drinkers are rednecks, all fat people are lazy, and all women suck at math– it is borderline stereotypical. If this guy has had back luck in the past with MMO players, I feel bad for him, but he should not take his prejudice out on the rest of us.

The November NPD numbers are in for PC titles for the month, and it should come as no surprise that World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is on top–as a matter of fact it takes the top two spots out of the Top 20. If you look through the whole chart though, you will notice that World of Warcraft took five spots which is an indication that its popularity shows no wane in sight.

Call of Duty: World at War for the PC came in third, with Spore still pulling in the gamers and resting at number four, and Left 4 Dead took the number 8 spot which is a decent slot considering the PC powerhouses that are present on the chart.

1. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
2. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Collector’s Edition
3. Call of Duty: World At War
4. Spore
5. Fallout 3
6. World of Warcraft: Battle Chest
7. The Sims 2 Deluxe
8. Left 4 Dead
9. The Sims 2 Apartment Life Expansion Pack
10. Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3
11. World of Warcraft
12. The Sims 2 Mansion & Garden Stuff Expansion
13. Nancy Drew: The Haunting of Castle Malloy
14. EverQuest II: The Shadow Odyssey
15. Far Cry 2
16. World of Warcraft: Burning Crusade Expansion Pack
17. BioShock
18. Spore Creepty & Cute Parts Pack
19. IGT Slots: Little Green Men
20. Assassin’s Creed

(Thanks Shacknews)

Blizzard has added Character Re-customization to it’s list of premium services for World of Warcraft. For $15 per character, you can change your avatar’s name, facial features, skin and even gender. The only thing you can’t mess with is your race and class.

Your guild memberships, standings, and friend lists will all be updated with your new name if you choose to change it. Of course that means that re-customization isn’t a way around Ignore restrictions. All the same, you might want to mention your plans to your friends and guild members so you don’t get booted by mistake.

There’s a Character Re-Customization FAQ on the Blizzard’s WoW site that seems to cover most sensible questions a player might have on the process. If you’re no longer satisfied with visiting the barber, you can re-customize every 30 days.

Over in Beijing, a World of Warcraft enthusiast has created a restaurant themed after his favorite game. Everything from the decor to the menu was inspired by Blizzard’s behemoth and images of the game are even plastered upon the walls and in-game footage is played on screens. The entrance is a re-creation of the Dark Portal, which for non-players is the opening animation from The Burning Crusade, while the dining area is the Hall of Snow Storms, and there is a towering tree at the center of this “dining portal”.

The food, which is classic Chinese and Sushi in form, is based on the game as well and named after different characters from WoW. When the owner was asked why he created a restaurant based upon his favorite online game, he stated that he did this in “the hope that people who share his enthusiasm for World of Warcraft would find a comfortable gathering place”.

I wonder just how long it will take before someone else does the same thing in another part of the world? If they do, it would definitely give Medieval Times a run for its money.

You can watch the video of the report on CCTV here.

1UP is appealing to gamers to take a 5-10 minute break from their games to fill out the 2008 MMO Gaming Study survey. Those who make time for this no fail quiz by December 1st will be entered in a Sweepstakes to win a $300 American Express Cheque.

Attention FileFront Community!
We want to hear about your MMO gaming experience. Help shape how MMO games are built and be entered in an exclusive sweepstakes drawing to* win a $300 American Express Cheque. * Survey only takes about 5 to 10 minutes and your input would be greatly appreciated.

In addition, you can earn additional entries into the sweepstakes. The first 500 completed surveys will earn a double entry into the prize drawing.

*Directions for the survey:*
1. Step#1: _[CLICK HERE TO START SURVEY]
2. Fill out the entire survey to be eligible for the drawing. *Please fill out the entire survey by December 1st in order to be eligible.*
One entry per household only, additional entries will be void. The winner will be notified as soon as a winner is selected.

Thanks again for your continuing support.

World of Warcraft players certainly don’t mind that 7-Eleven has been dabbling in the field of selling videogames. Thanks to the apparent disregard for street dates, WoW players were able to secure early copies (albeit not early access) of Wrath of the Lich King. The retail chain has announced that its recent sales of games like WoW, Halo, and Madden isn’t a temporary holiday cash-in — they’re planning on permanently adding videogames to their inventory (via Joystiq).

“This is not just a holiday promotion for us,” explained 7-Eleven category manager for gaming and electronics, “but a brand new product line-up that will be available year-round. We may not be a total entertainment destination … yet, but we’re hoping to expand our selection beyond the high-dollar, hot-selling games to include options for all budgets, like value-priced video games as well as DVD movies. For consumers wanting convenient one-stop shopping for at-home entertainment along with groceries and gas or who just want to avoid big-store shopping inconveniences, their local 7-Eleven store is open and ready.”

In addition to Wrath of the Lich King, 7-Eleven is planning on selling the Guitar Hero World Tour band kit, Fallout 3, Quantum of Solace, Gears of War 2, WWE Smackdown vs. Raw 2009, and Call of Duty: World at War. They’ll also begin selling subscription cards for around 20 games and services ranging from Xbox Live to City of Heroes to Runescape.

Picking up a game at 7-Eleven seems to be more of a convenience rather than an alternative, at least at this point. Unless you’ve got one closer to home than any other retailer, will gamers really opt to go there instead of GameStop, Best Buy, or Walmart? But if they decided to throw in a free Slurpee with the purchase of any full-priced game, that might just give them the edge that makes it the premiere destination for picking up big-name games. It would for me, at least.

Love World of Warcraft or hate World of Warcraft you have to give Blizzard some credit for the awesome commercials advertising their product.

In the past we have been been treated to commercials featuring Verne Troyer (man he really creeps me out), William Shatner, and my personal favorite of the three, Mr. T–however, my new favorite has to be the one that was just released this morning.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it is with great pleasure that I present to you–The Prince of !#$%ing Darkness… Mr. Ozzy Osbourne.

I now bow down to the higher power that is the advertising geniuses at Blizzard.

Blizzard just keeps shattering records doesn’t it? Now, they have something else to brag about–with more than 2.8 million copies sold in its first 24 hours, Blizzard’s World of Warcraft expansion is now the fastest-selling PC game…ever.

World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King sold more than 2.8 million copies in its first 24 hours of availability, which eclipses the previous record of nearly 2.4 million copies sold in 24 hours, set in January 2007 by World of Warcraft’s first expansion, The Burning Crusade.

Wrath of the Lich King was simultaneously released in North America, Europe, Chile, Argentina, and Russia on November 13; Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Thailand on November 14; and South Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on November 18.

In celebration of the launch, more than 15,000 stores throughout the world had their doors open at midnight to welcome thousands of expectant players. Several of these locations were attended by Blizzard Entertainment representatives, who met players and signed copies of the game.

Prior to the launch of Wrath of the Lich King, World of Warcraft’s subscriber population had grown to more than 11 million players, further strengthening its position as the world’s most popular subscription-based massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

Expect this record to be broken when they release the next expansion…whenever that may be.

It looks as though U.K. fans are just as crazy about the Call of Duty franchise as those in the U.S. because according to the All Formats charts from Chart Track, the week one sales of Call of Duty: World at War are higher than sales for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare when it debuted. Outselling CoD4 by more than 2 to 1, World at War is expected to be the most popular game during the Holiday Shopping Extravaganza across the pond.

If you look at the rest of the chart, you will notice that games published by Activision Blizzard dominate the chart by having 25 percent of all sales for the one publisher. Of course, World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is on the chart as well, taking spot number two while Guitar Hero: World Tour coming in at number six (full kits for this game were just released recently released).

Last week’s number one best-selling game was Epic’s Xbox 360 exclusive Gears of War 2, which dropped 64 percent and down to position number four.

To give you an idea what our British brethren are playing, here are the top selling games for week ending November 15:

1. Call of Duty: World at War
2. World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King
3. Football Manager 2009
4. Gears of War 2
5. FIFA 09
6. Guitar Hero: World Tour
7. Professor Layton and the Curious Village
8. Mario Kart Wii
9. Pro Evolution Soccer 2009
10. WWE Smackdown Vs RAW 2009

Thanks: GamesIndustry.biz

As we are all well aware, the expansion hit the ground running over the past few days and while not actually a WoW player, I do like the music, and the snipits I listened to are very interesting. Considering the fact that they were created by Blizzard Entertainment veterans Derek Duke, Glenn Stafford, and Russell Brower with performances by the Northwest Sinfonia Orchestra and Chorus, what else would you expect?

The iTunes edition of the World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King Original Game Soundtrack contains 21 tracks, including three exclusives and each song is, of course, the usual $.99 or you can purchase the full soundtrack for $9.99. Right now, the most popular track is “Arthas, My Son” and following in a close second is the “Wrath of the Lich King”, main title track. If you happen to own an iPhone, those are also the most popular ringtones at the moment as well.

This is for North America–if you live in another region, you may wish to check with iTunes before you get too excited only to find out it is not available yet.