Players in China can now download the game, create accounts and experience the epic adventure of the Warcraft® series in an immersive and continually evolving online environment. The commercial launch of World of Warcraft follows a highly successful open beta period in China during which the game reached a peak concurrency - the total number of subscribers playing simultaneously - of more than 500,000 players.

To deliver top-notch customer support and maintain a safe and secure service, Blizzard and The9 have implemented an authorization CD-key system for the official launch of World of Warcraft. This system will help protect the game from malicious hack programs that could otherwise affect players' enjoyment of the game.

Only players who have purchased an authorized CD key will be able to activate their accounts and enter the game. Each CD key costs 30 Yuan/RMB and can be purchased with a World of Warcraft Points Card. Point Cards also cost 30 Yuan/RMB and can be used at a rate of 9 points per hour (0.45 Yuan/hour) to play World of Warcraft.