'World of Warcraft' players top 10 million

Role-playing epic World of Warcraft is officially the most popular online game in the world after developer Blizzard announced it now has more than 10 million subscribers.

The fantasy-fest, which was the world's best-selling PC game in 2005 and 2006, is available to play in seven languages, with a Russian version in development for release later this year.

"It's very gratifying to see gamers around the world continuing to show such enthusiasm and support for World of Warcraft," said Blizzard CEO and cofounder Mike Morhaime.

"We're always pleased to welcome new players to the game, and we're looking forward to sharing the next major content update with the entire community in the months ahead."

More than half of the game's 10 million subscribers are located in Asia, with more than two million in Europe and the UK and over two and a half million in North America.

Expansion packs are also popular, with The Burning Crusade holding the record for the fastest-selling PC game of all time, shifting 2.4 million copies in its first 24 hours. A second expansion pack entitled Wrath of the Lich King is currently in development.