World of Warcraft paid subscriptions rise to 10M, Diablo 3 sold 10M copies

Activision has announced in its investor call that the publisher enjoyed $226M in profit for the fiscal quarter just past, up from the $148M during the same period in 2011. Much of it is thanks to a rise in paid subscriptions for World of Warcraft.

The subscription increase of 900K users is almost certainly due to the latest expansion for the MMO, Mists of Pandaria.

According to CEO Robert Kotick, Mists of Pandaria had help, as he credited Diablo III, the Skylanders IP and the Call of Duty back catalog for spurring income. Diablo III, he announced, has sold 10M copies to date.

2003 is bright, as Kotick stated that the first expansion for Starcraft II, Heart of the Swarm, will debut in the first half of the year.

”As we look to 2013, we are cautious about business prospects given a continually challenged global economy, the ongoing console transition, and very difficult year-over-year comparables due to Blizzard’s record-shattering Diablo III sales in 2012,” he promised.