Warhammer Online Population Drops to 300,000

[Keane Ng]

Warhammer Online Population Drops to 300,000

The population of Warhammer Online [http://herald.warhammeronline.com] has dwindled to 300,000 subscribers, a loss of 500,000 since November, according to figures announced by Electronic Arts yesterday.

"Warhammer Online now has over 300K paying subscribers in North America and Europe," EA revealed yesterday in a flocking back [http://files.shareholder.com/downloads/ERTS/540960152x0x270149/4b78bb8b-1fcf-477e-848d-c246d47b7cc4/Q309Script_0203_FINAL.pdf] to Azeroth. And that was before the launch of the newest expansion, The Wrath of the Lich King.

Now that Lich King has been out for some time and that WoW has again asserted its dominance in the MMOG game with more than 11 million [http://www.wowinsider.com/2008/10/28/world-of-warcraft-hits-11-million-subscribers-worldwide/] subscribers, it seems that only the most dedicated of WAR players remain. It's hard to keep an MMOG populated when people keep flocking off to other pastures - the fewer people there are to play with, the less reason there is to stay, regardless of the quality of the content.

Still, those who do decide to stick with WAR won't be left out in the cold. Mythic recently announced a series of major expansions [http://herald.warhammeronline.com/liveevents/2009BitterRivals.php] for the game that will be available for all subscribers, including two new classes: the Dwarf Slayer and the Orc Choppa. The new classes will be introduced in a live in-game event this month, as will the rest of the updates for the game later on, which also include a new realm-vs-realm dungeon zone called The Land of the Dead.

Keep in mind that there are more than 300,000 subscribers in the game, as EA states that there are "over 300K." Still, it can't be much more since they didn't say it was 400 or 500K. 300K is still nothing to scoff at, but the massive drop-off has to hurt. I'll have to count myself among those recently departed: I canceled my WAR subscription last week.

[Via Shacknews [http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/57088]]

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[DamienHell]

300,000 is still very good, I don't think warhammer is gonna die like most mmos

 

[Ranooth]

As a devoted Games Workshop fan and a WAR beta tester all i can really say is:

:S

 

[John Funk]

I hope they do well. 300k+ isn't anything to be ashamed of, but I can't help but think it's not what they were hoping for.

 

[Chosen_Chaos]

Oh, it probably won't die completely, but I'd say that unless the WoW team suddenly go collectively insane, it'll be like the other surviving MMOs - strictly niche value with a subscriber base of around 200,000 to 250,000.

 

[Madshaw]

Is the game actually anything like the warhammer world?

 

[Ranooth]

Is the game actually anything like the warhammer world?

Its the closest your'll ever get to the Warhammer IP. Games Workshop were kinda specific that nothing Mythic put in would break the IP.

 

[Bretty]

I think the issue is now that most people have seen what happens after playing an MMO for four years and the idea of doing it again is lestened. I loved the Beta and spent the better part of last year waiting for it. However, after 2 months I cant help but feel that I have been here before.

I do not consider myself a player of MMOs anymore, which is a shame. I think most the people my age, 25-30, can't justify spending 20 hours a week playing a game, with families and jobs etc. I dont think I could justify spending 20 hours doing any hobby.

Just my 10 cents.

 

[Littaly]

Warhammer Online has some flaws, or at least it did before my free month ran out around November (too much school work, I never went back to WoW). But it is nothing that can't be fixed. I think that if people give it a year or so it will be able to compete with WoW.

 

[Dirty Apple]

I don't understand why WOW has this longevity. Are people returning to it because there's just a comfort factor to consider, or is it truly that far and above its competitors?

 

[Bretty]

Atleast it's main selling point wasn't a new haircut? Iguess I fail to see your point Kukul?

 

[savandicus]

I really dont get why people are so obsessed with there being an mmorpg that will be better than wow. If something beats wow then everyone will flock to that and it'll just become the new wow and nothing will have changed but a name.

As for War it was a great game imo, i would love to play both wow and war but sadly i'm a poor uni student and can only afford the time and money for 1 so i had to go where my friends are.

 

[thiosk]

I said it before, and I'll say it again.

"OMG........ warhammer dudes. You get to level up and orc\human\other warrior\magicuser\hybrid and then engage in PVE\PVP battle accross the realms... AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALL THE WHILE COLLECTING GEAR

I have GOT to get to the store..."

I was relentlessly attacked for such statements at the time, during the run up to war. A 60% drop in the member base since launch suggests that I am in fact correct, and fanboiz are in fact fanboiz.

I'm not always right, though, I thought Iraq was going to be "ezmode" back in 2003.

 

[sanzo]

I said it before, and I'll say it again.

"OMG........ warhammer dudes. You get to level up and orc\human\other warrior\magicuser\hybrid and then engage in PVE\PVP battle accross the realms... AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALL THE WHILE COLLECTING GEAR

I have GOT to get to the store..."

I was relentlessly attacked for such statements at the time, during the run up to war. A 60% drop in the member base since launch suggests that I am in fact correct, and fanboiz are in fact fanboiz.

I'm not always right, though, I thought Iraq was going to be "ezmode" back in 2003.

I suppose again doesn't account for the people who never played any MMOs before, huh? arrogant much

I have to agree with Max about the player drop. I know a bunch of people who went to WAR, only to run back to WoW because they had invested more time in it. When you've invested that much time into a game, you'd be reluctant to just leave it

 

[Medic Heavy]

I would just like to say....the dam thing doesn't wanna work on my computer. (And no i can run it, it just doesn't wanna work).

 

[Cubilone]

They need to give high fantasy a break. WoW, AoC, LOTRO and WAR are all pretty similar as far as setting goes. We need something fresh! Where's a Pokemon MMORPG when you need it?

OK, I'll settle with Old Republic. Maybe.

 

[Spartan Bannana]

Ouch.
They are far from being WoW aren't they?

 

[Mariena]

Maybe they should have tried something.. new... rather than yet another fantasy MMORPG. Warhammer or not.

Well, Warhammer 40k would have been interesting, for sure.