World of Warcraft rising despite competition
Warhammer Online to feel the Wrath...
Lazard Capital Markets' analyst, Colin Sebastian, reckons WoW will attract a million new subscribers in the next year.
In a research note yesterday, Sebastian stated: "We expect a net addition of ~1 million new subscribers to World of Warcraft over the next 12 months, driven in part by the launch of the expansion pack, as well as by ongoing growth of the game in China."
Sebastian doesn't think Warhammer Online poses any threat to WoW in the short term, but he does acknowledge that EA's recent contribuition is a game that "is one of the few high-profile MMOs with the potential to become a long-term competitor in the fantasy genre."
Mythic Entertainment have recently announced that there are over 750,000 payers registered for Warhammer Online while Sebastian clearly believes WoW is sitting pretty on the MMORPG throne for the time being, at least: "We do not expect a significant negative impact in the near-term on World of Warcraft — and note that preorders of the upcoming expansion pack rank as one of the best selling games on Amazon.com and other retail websites."
World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King is released on November 13th.
