EA Investors Not Sold On BioWare's Star Wars MMO

Apparently some EA investors are skeptical that BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic will have success in a difficult MMO market.

According to Gamasutra, Janco Partners analyst Mike Hickey says that some EA investors aren't convinced that the game will sell well. "We believe that many investors are betting against SWTOR achieving market success," says Hickey, "provided the company's (Warhammer Online from Mythic) and industry's track record at releasing successful new MMOs."

EA's Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning wasn't a hit for the company, and Hickey also points out a few other factors that may be on investors' minds, including: "a suspected subscription model versus a market that is quickly transitioning to free to play, generally modest previews of the game, and elevated development expense and suspected aggressive royalty to LucasArts."

Hickey's thoughts on the game's sales potential ("modest previews" notwithstanding) don't necessarily mean the game won't actually be fun for players, but a lack of monetary success could impact its longevity.