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Pachter Says Old Republic Cost EA $80 Million
EA and BioWare's epic Star Wars MMO has come with an epic budget. Renowned video game analyst Michael Pachter of Wedbush Morgan estimates that the game's budget will exceed $80 million by the time it released.
In an interview with Gamasutra, Pachter said, "Given that the game was in development for over four years, with an estimated 200 full-time developers working on it, we estimate that EA’s investment exceeds $80 million."
He also stated that the company will likely spend $20 million more manufacturing, marketing, and distributing the game.
However, he remains optimistic that the game will be a money-maker for the company, stating that EA would be able to cover its direct operating costs back on a range of 350,000 to 500,000 paid subscribers. This number is fairly modest, considering Blizzard's World of Warcraft currently has more than 12 million subscribers.
Source: Gamasutra
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