Breaking news: a lot of players bought Cataclysm! Blizzard announced today that more than 4.7 million copies of the third World of Warcraft expanion have been sold in the first month of its release, setting a new record for monthly PC game sales. You can read the full press release after the jump.

This is not the first time that Cataclysm has broken a sales record. More than 3.3 million copies (including digital pre-sales) of the expansion were sold in the first 24 hours of its release, making it the fastest-selling PC game of all time. Of course, the previous record was set by Wrath of the Lich King in November 2008, which sold 2.8 million copies in 24 hours.

Official press release:

IRVINE, Calif. -- January 10, 2011 -- Blizzard Entertainment, Inc. today announced that World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, the third expansion for the critically acclaimed massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG), has sold through more than 4.7 million copies as of its first month of release, setting a new record for monthly PC-game sales.*

World of Warcraft: Cataclysm was simultaneously released in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Europe, Russia, Southeast Asia, Australia, and New Zealand on December 7, and became available in Korea and the regions of Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau on December 9. With day-one sales topping 3.3 million copies,* World of Warcraft: Cataclysm became the fastest-selling PC game of all time, shattering the previous record, which was held by the second World of Warcraft expansion, Wrath of the Lich King.

"We created thousands of new quests, introduced new lands to explore, and extensively revamped the game world for World of Warcraft: Cataclysm, making it our biggest and most ambitious expansion yet," said Mike Morhaime, CEO and cofounder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We’ve been floored by the community's response so far, and we'd like to thank them for their continued passion and support for World of Warcraft, and for helping Cataclysm reach this incredible milestone."

Prior to the launch of Cataclysm, World of Warcraft's subscriber population had grown to more than 12 million players globally, further strengthening the game's position as the world's most popular subscription-based MMORPG. More information about the new expansion can be found at the official World of Warcraft: Cataclysm website: http://www.blizzard.com/games/cataclysm/.

To keep pace with the continued growth of World of Warcraft as well as development on other Blizzard Entertainment® games, the company is currently hiring for numerous open positions. More information on career opportunities available at Blizzard Entertainment can be found at www.blizzard.com/jobs.

*Based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners. Includes digital distribution.