WOW to add 1m more subs - analyst
WAR won't have "a negative impact".
Lazard analyst Colin Sebastian reckons World of Warcraft can add another million subscribers to its total of 10.9 million in the next year, and that it will shrug off competition from Warhammer Online.
"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 [Wrath of the Lich King] expansion pack, as well as by ongoing growth of the game in China," Sebastian said (as reported by Edge Online).
He recognised Warhammer Online's achievement in recruiting 750,000 players, but reckons it won't dent the progress of the Blizzard juggernaut.
"We do not expect [Warhammer Online to have] a significant negative impact in the near-term on World of Warcraft - and note that preorders of the upcoming [WOW] expansion pack rank as one of the best selling games on Amazon.com and other retail websites," Sebastian said.
He advised investors to buy Activision Blizzard stock after being impressed by last weekend's BlizzCon event, where, he said, he couldn't find anyone interested in WAR. Funny, that.
In other words, he went to a convention, talked to fanboys, and did some internet shopping as research. No wonder the financial world is in collapse.
Can WOW forge on to 12 million subscribers? Will WAR's superior PVP game steal players away? Commence your trolling in the comments, but remember - there's every possibility that both those things might happen.