Barnett bets on 1m WAR subs in a year

By Oli Welsh Published 16 September, 2008

Says it's Vegas to WOW's Blackpool.

Paul Barnett, creative director on Warhammer Online, has been doing some fighting talk. In an interview published today, he told Eurogamer he's personally betting that the game will claim a million subscribers in its first year - and eventually hit the three million mark.

Barnett was also happy to lay in to rival World of Warcraft, calling it "Blackpool" to WAR's "Vegas".

"We're having a staff pool," Barnett said when asked how many subscribers he'd consider a success for the game. "I put down my bet: a million within the year, and then three million."

Barnett was keen to point out this isn't an official projection. "That's just me, personally. That's not Mythic or EA," he said. He noted that, if successful, he could stand to win as much as USD 27 from the pool.

Asked how he'd persuade a dedicated WOW fan to try his game instead, Barnett got in character to deliver the ultimate backhanded compliment to Blizzard's game.

"I really like Blackpool, it's marvellous. Got a tower, you know. They sell fish and chips and it's got a golden mile, a whole mile of things to do," he began.

"But you know what, I went on holiday to Blackpool 17 years in a row. Sometimes you just want to go to Vegas."

For more on Warhammer Online - including how Barnett feels about European publisher GOA, and what you can expect from early updates to the game (some of those cut classes, apparently) - check out the full interview.

Picture of Oli.

About Oli Welsh

Oli is Eurogamer's acting deputy editor and reviews editor and likes to take things one word at a time. He is among the best dressed people in South London.

Read more articles from Oli by visiting the Oli Welsh archive page.

You may also like...

Comments (30) Latest comment 3 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • Benno #1 3 years ago

    It's Blackpool to WoWs Vegas.

  • Fwing #2 3 years ago

    Talk is cheap.

    BIG Talk is even cheaper.

  • loopy #3 3 years ago

    Barnett was also happy to lay in to rival World of Warcraft, calling it "Blackpool" to WAR's "Vegas".

    :D

    I'll stick with WoW, cheers all the same. ;)

    (I hate Blackpool in real life, I doubt I'd enjoy Vegas any better.)
    Edited by 2 at 16/09/08 @ 15:37

  • spammage #4 3 years ago

    I've been playing WOW since vanilla beta and WAR has a long way to come before such claims are true. Apart from the IP it isn't very good and smells a lot like DAoC. Plus WAR subs are MORE than wow, pay more get less content, at least as PvE is concerned. The WAR RvR is inspired though, if they can get it right....

    WAR is going to be in a pickle though, WOTLK announced for Novemeber and 3.0 content patch in a couple of weeks won't leave many bored / dispondent WOW players to hoover up. Only so many MMO subbers in the world and wow has most of em! :D

  • bengray66 #5 3 years ago

    excuse me if im wrong (and i might be), doesn't WoW have 10 million? He wants 3 million, and he thinks that will make them the "Vegas"?

  • hulahoops #6 3 years ago

    "Only so many MMO subbers in the world and wow has most of em! :D"

    Hooray! Because lack of competition is a GOOD thing for the consumer!

    No, wait...

  • trixter©ú #7 3 years ago

    Either way it'll be interesting to see how WAR performs. AoC managed to ride the hype train but now where are they? Stuck with around 20% or less of their initial subscriber base. People will be a little more cautious this time around and who can blame them?

    One of my buddies is going to try WAR...if it does turn out to be good then maybe I'll give it a bash. Otherwise it'll be WOTLK for me. It is kind of sad that WoW has such a firm grip on us...I guess the fact that it works so well helps their cause and prevents competitors from putting up any real serious competition - which is good if these competitors only want to ride the cash cow (who wouldn't want to be in Blizz's position right now?)

  • Rirekon #8 3 years ago

    "Only so many MMO subbers in the world and wow has most of em! :D"
    Yeah it's not like the market is constantly growing or anything... oh wait.

    WAR stands a reasonable chance of passing the 1 million mark, maybe not in the next year but eventually. The one thing which will hold it back is how much GOA continue to drop the ball. 7 days free subscription to make for the beta goes a long way, but it still doesn't answer so many of the concerns about their operation.

  • iokthemonkey #9 3 years ago

    WAR is STEAK to WoW's HAMBURGER!

    Oh wait, that was already taken...

    Good luck to 'em, but it's an EA game and so has SecuROM and DRM "protection", so it'll be a cold day in hell before I let any of them near my machine.

  • Cider-X #10 3 years ago

    3 million?? He's delusional

  • comedian #11 3 years ago

    @ iokthemonkey

    It's an MMO, it has the best DRM going.

    AN OBLIGATORY USER ACCOUNT!

  • RedSparrows #12 3 years ago

    I've never wanted to go to either, both look like my idea of hell.

    But I like WoW. yay.

  • Nill #13 3 years ago

    Good luck to 'em, but it's an EA game and so has SecuROM and DRM "protection", so it'll be a cold day in hell before I let any of them near my machine.

    Well hello, Mr Ignorant. Google for Blizzard Warden - it was a riot when Blizzard tried to quietly slip that one into WoW.

    And why would it use SecuROM? Even if it does, there are no disc-checks, and obviously you need an Internet-connection for the game anyway, so any online checks are pretty much moot - they'd be there with or without SecuROM by the very nature of the program. By the way, SecuROM is a DRM-program, so obviously there can't be both SecuROM and DRM; rather, there'd be SecuROM and additional DRM, although, as I said, I'm sure there's none as that would be redundant in this type of a product.


    Anyway, WAR is a fantastic game in completely trumps WoW if you're into PvP. Or really just anything that is not the stale, linear piss that WoW is. That said, I did fancy WoW quite a bit at one point in time, it just didn't ever deliver on some of its most interesting pre-release promises, such as proper use of contested zones through resource wars between factions, siege weapons etcetera.

    WAR is just very fun to play, and no matter how you choose to play it, it's extremely easy to find yourself in a nice group, heading into the fray. Anything you do will let you advance your character in several ways at the same time, be it through renown, experience or influence. Maybe it will start feeling like a chore when you've been through the game a few times, as WoW does nowadays, but for not at least, it doesn't.

  • iokthemonkey #14 3 years ago

    @ iokthemonkey

    It's an MMO, it has the best DRM going.

    AN OBLIGATORY USER ACCOUNT!

    -------------

    Yup. So why insist on installing a bunch of shit in my system, too?

  • iokthemonkey #15 3 years ago

    Nill - you're missing the point.

    EA-published titles use protection systems that can completely trash a perfectly legitimate system. Don't believe me? Ask the folks who had to flatten their PCs when their perfectly legit copy of one of the Sims 2 expansions screwed over their perfectly legit system.

    I don't know about you, but I happen to like having a PC that runs and is virus-free.

    The biggest joke is that in this case, no they don't need SecuROM protection. But they'll still use it.

    That's almost as funny as their claims that it stops piracy of their games, which - as the Spore debacle proved - is complete arse.

  • Wickerman #16 3 years ago

    @ iokthemonkey - without trying to sound too confrontational in tone, where is your proof that WAR is going to have SecurROM or any other sort of DRM attached to it? So far all the code that has been available has been downloaded for access to the Betas and then the Headstart, so has not required any discs nor has stopped me installing the client on multiple machines and logging in from them.

  • iokthemonkey #17 3 years ago

    EA made a statement a while ago that all EA titles on the PC would use SecuROM. I've yet to see any announcement to the contrary regarding WAR. Perhaps they're not using it here, but I would be surprised if they didn't.

    Secondly as a matter of principle, I simply won't buy EA-published titles due to their insistance on using SecuROM elsewhere, be it on this game or not. I'm sure me not spending 50 quid on the game and not subscribing will really break their bank balance, but anyway...

    Thirdly, with regard to WAR itself, it just doesn't grab my attention and seems too much like the next evolution of WoW. And I dislike where WoW went. It all leaves me cold, I'm afraid. Big up to everybody playing it and enjoying it, but I don't see it as this great Second Coming a lot of others seems to be hailing it as.

  • Wickerman #18 3 years ago

    Ah, ok thanks - was beginning to think I'd missed something specific. Personally I'd be surprised if they DID use it with an MMO, but I guess we'll have to wait and see (and admittedly, EA have a long history of not making the most sensible of decisions...). Not having had any problems with copy protection systems before (yep, I'm one of those lucky ones), I can't say this is a deal breaker for me but I can see how it could be for other people!
    Edited by 1 at 16/09/08 @ 18:00

  • illusiondance #19 3 years ago

    ahh, bless.
    the rolly polly Barnett succeeded (very easily) in getting most of the wOw faithful all huffy and red faced.
    dont take it so seriously people, the man is a consumate piss taker and i doubt Warhammer will be much of a competitor for a few years yet, even with Ea's endless finances and this excellent licence.

  • Slipstream #20 3 years ago

    I like how Blizzard never respond to any of these statements, they just standback, cross their arms and watch em drop like flies.

  • Darkjinxter #21 3 years ago

    Barnett says he's been to Blackpool for his hols for 17 years, and we're to give him credence?

  • MaxiSleep #22 3 years ago

    Those they gods wish to destroy first they make mad........

  • whizzedout #23 3 years ago

    WAR is great, RvR is superb, Questing is fun, Tomb of Knowledge clever, PvP a laugh, casting spells on the run is quality, everything drops loot including PvP, best thing of all is Public Quests and the lottery system simply amazing.

    1 million subscribers will be reached easily, and it will rise.
    Edited by 1 at 16/09/08 @ 23:42

  • Marshall2008 #24 3 years ago

    This guy is funny as fuck. Their game looks pretty much like WoW even plays pretty much like WoW. But, WoW has some 10 million plus subscribers many of them with months/years invested in their toons who just aren't going to jump ship and if they do they will be back in their droves just like those who went to Conan.

    I would imagine that the servers will be busy for maybe 2 weeks then its WoW patch day for 3.0 and the WH active players will drop off. They might rise a little but will die by the end of the year as Wotlk comes out.

    The next thing you will hear from EA is that:

    We are proud to announce that we are consolidating our servers.. ahem.

  • Vandrius #25 3 years ago

    Because killing the same computer controlled spawns in WoW doesn't get old after the first 153 runs through an instance.

    Oh wait...

  • Nikalai88 #26 3 years ago

    I haven't played a class in WAR that I found clever and well desinged. As much as comments like these are made I much rather play a WoW Paladin that has lots of unique systems to it than a typical WAR class where all the skills are rather boring and generic.

    PS I never heard Blizzard making such statements about the competition, good for them for being above it.

  • mrpsb #27 3 years ago

    It always fascinates me when the best argument for something being true is "if you disagree you are stupid".

  • Sildur #28 3 years ago

    What a joker. Anyway, your sh1tty game is the only EA game not to work on Mac, so now I'm definitely not trying it out.

    TTFN!

  • Sildur #29 3 years ago

    illusiondance: "Warhammer will be much of a competitor for a few years yet, even with Ea's endless finances and this excellent licence."

    And let's face it, as Warhammer does look a lot like WoW in terms of graphics already, in a few years time, there will be a new game out which will actually improve on WoW's graphics (Blizzard's next MMO perhaps?) and then WAR will have missed the boat completely. GG Mythic

  • Stragen #30 3 years ago

    Well I seem to remember AoC making a similar comparison earlier this year.

    "Conan is steak to WOW's McDonald's" This was the headline.

    Here's the quote from Gaute Godager,

    "But you know... I'm going to be a bit cheeky now, but if you've been to McDonald's for four or five years, and had your burger and your Coke, sometimes it's great to just have a great steak and a glass of good wine." -Gaute Godager

    and heres the Latest AoC news

    "Age of Conan director leaves Funcom"


    "I have done my very best making this fabulous game, but I have concluded there are elements which I am dissatisfied with. -Gaute Godager


    I smell Irony.

    Only time will tell if WAR is going to go down that road.History has a nasty habbit of repeating its self.

    All these game developers are trying to make a "wow beater" and as a result they just churn out some generic crap and stick a fancy licenced name on it.
    Edited by 2 at 18/09/08 @ 13:44