Activision boss Bobby Kotick is man familiar with Star Wars and George Lucas for that matter, having worked on titles such as Jedi Outcast, Jedi Academy and The Force Unleashed. When asked about his thoughts on EA’s upcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, Kotick claimed that George Lucas is the only winner when it comes to anything Star Wars related.
“Lucas is going to be the principal beneficiary of the success of Star Wars,” Kotick said Monday at the Reuters Media Summit. “We’ve been in business with Lucas for a long time and the economics will always accrue to the benefit of Lucas, so I don’t really understand how the economics work for Electronic Arts.”
Kotick was also quick to play down claims that The Old Republic will be a sustainable game; “If you look at the history of the people investing in an MMO and achieving success, it’s a small number,” he said.
Maybe a hint of jealousy was behind Koticks blunt statement as Reuters reported an analyst’s note that The Old Republic, which releases December 20, could draw 1.5 to 2 million subscribers “which would qualify as a major success for EA.” Down the line, some 3 to 4 million World of Warcraft subscribers could be enticed to buy it.
