The fastest-selling PC game of all time also happened to be, for a brief period, one of the most overpopulated virtual worlds of all time. Released on November 23, World of Warcraft sold more than 350,000 copies by the end of this past weekend.

　　Eager to explore the world of Azeroth, World of Warcraft gamers created hundreds of thousands of accounts. As a result, the game's publisher, Blizzard, saw its servers' performance behaving slightly under par. The onslaught of activity caused by the unexpected success forced Blizzard to more than double the number of servers dedicated to the MMORPG to ease lag and login difficulties.

　　Blizzard has recognized the performance issues and is extending the game's free trial periods to users that created accounts on or before November 26. Users who created an account on November 23 will receive a four-day extension; those who created an account on November 24 will receive a three-day extension; those who created an account on November 25 will receive a two-day extension; and those who created an account on November 26 will receive a one-day extension. After the free trial, gamers can continue to explore World of Warcraft for $14.99 a month.

　　"Our sincere apologies go out to all who experienced service disruptions. As always, we appreciate your patience and support, and we wish you good luck in your adventures in Azeroth!" said a Blizzard representative in a statement.