EA and Bioware’s Star Wars-themed The Old Republic is currently in beta, and scheduled to absorb fans’ lives next year. There’s a heck of a lot of interest in the MMORPG – largely because of the Star Wars legacy, and Bioware’s heritage. Will it actually be successful enough to make any money though?
Activision-Blizzard Boss Bobby Kotick doesn’t seem to think so.
"Lucas is going to be the principal beneficiary of the success of Star Wars," Kotick said at the Reuters Media Summit. "We’ve been in business with Lucas for a long time and the economics will always accrue to the benefit of Lucas, so I don’t really understand how the economics work for Electronic Arts."
There’s a lot of suggestion that The Old Republic will steal subscribers from the successful, but aged World of Warcraft – something Kotick’s quick to downplay.
"If you look at the history of the people investing in an MMO and achieving success, it’s a small number," he said.
EA believes it needs just half a million subscribers for the MMO – which has cost the company as much as $100 Million already – to be profitable. Any of you in the beta care to tell us what you think – and whether or not you believe it’ll stand up to the giant that is World of Warcraft?
Last Updated: November 29, 2011