Also the first MMO to launch in 3 major areas simultaneously

On the eve of Warhammer Online's official launch, it's a good time to sit back and look at the numbers. Mythic Entertainment has shipped 1.5 million box units to retail stores, and it's probably a good bet that if you haven't preordered, it will be a little hard to come by.

Shipping to stores in North America, Europe, and Oceania on September 17th, the game set a company record for the most retail pre-orders placed by consumers for a PC title in EA's 26-year history.

In a similar line of thinking, Mythic's Paul Barnett has predicted that by this time next year, WAR will have one million subscribers. He also says that the game will eventually hit the three million mark.

"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.

For Warhammer's sake, let's hope Paul wins that $27.

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