"WoW's market share was 60% in 2007 and 58% in 2008, but in terms of revenue, it went up year-on-year and is still going big guns.The study, by analysts Screen Digest, said the market had been driven by attempts to emulate World of Warcraft. The findings suggest that the MMOG's market in Europe and North America grew by 22% and was worth $1.4bn (￡0.9bn). There are at least 220 active MMOGs, although many of these are exclusive to South East Asia. Speaking to the BBC, Piers Harding-Rolls - senior analyst with Screen Digest - said that despite the recession, subscription MMOG's were still showing significant growth.

The report examines revenue made from subscription based services, rather than total player numbers, in Europe and North America. "It's an effective way to build a subscription base, rather than the traditional routes that involve PR, hype and having a service that has to be almost perfect from day one," he said. "If you look at the example of RuneScape, this is a game pitched at a teenage audience. You can play it for free or you can pay a premium and get a better service without advertising. "Some games are eroding World of Warcraft's (WoW) position - Warhammer Online and Age of Conan being the two most significant - but that's more down to their growth rather than any decline on WoW's part.