Between collectors editions and normal retail boxes, the core game and expansions, the NPD reports that World of Warcraft has pushed 8.6 million units in the U.S. to date.
Following up on the news that EA's The Sims 3 had sold 800,000 copies in its first month, Gamasutra decided to find out how well the fake people franchise's chief competitor for PC market share had fared over the past few years. The NPD gathered together data for all retail releases of World of Warcraft, from the Battle Chest to Wrath of the Lich King, coming up with 8.6 million units sold at retail.
It's a very impressive number, made more impressive when you convert that to actual dollars. Gama rounded the price to $30 a copy, which I think is a bit on the light side, considering the large number of collectors editions released for The Burning Crusade and Wrath of the Lich King expansions. Still, even the conservative estimate has the game netting $258 million at retail.
Once you figure in international sales and monthly subscription fees, you end up with more money than I have in my pocket right now.
World Of Warcraft's U.S. Retail Sales Total 8.6 Million [Gamasutra]