A convergence of epic proportions is happening. The two giants in the
gaming industry – Blizzard Activision and EA – are
setting to square off this autumn in a marketplace that has driven the
games industry into the money-making stratosphere. Through their
acquisition of Mythic, the folks at EA are hoping to pull off an
enormous monetary upset with their upcoming game Warhammer Online: Age
of Reckoning and turn the tide on the continual success of Blizzard
Activision’s World of Warcraft. However, Blizzard’s
release of Wrath of the Lich King may interfere with those plans,
especially if the monolithic MMOG company decides to release WotLK
anywhere near the release date for Warhammer Online.



From the reports that are coming in from Paris, the release of WotLK
may come as soon as early fall or “the holiday
season.” It seems that the developers at Blizzard have been
crunching like mad in preparation for the release of Wrath of the Lich
King, and if you take a look at href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/events/blizzardwwi08/"
target="_blank">all of Ten Ton Hammer’s material
from the Blizzard WWI, you’ll notice that there is
a whole bevy of new information and “concrete” type
declarations that point squarely at a “holiday
season” release for the upcoming expansion pack.

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World of Warcraft is
looking to extend its domination of the MMOG market with Wrath of the
Lich King.

Although EA Mythic has href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/29360http://www.gamespot.com/news/6182177.html?sid=6182177&part=rss&subj=6182177"
target="_blank">delayed the release of Warhammer Online in
the past, it seems that the game is squarely on track to hit
their latest release date, which would also make the game a viable
option for a holiday season release. Although an open beta would be a
concrete indicator of the release date, rumors around the internet
speak of the quality gameplay and forward-reaching steps EA Mythic has
made in their upcoming release. By all accounts, it sounds like
they’re on track.



Like many of you, I can only wonder what sort of result a WAR / WotLK
simultaneous (or near to it) release would accomplish. If the two video
game titans opt to duke it out in a head-to-head competition, would
more gamers be drawn to MMOGs, thus expanding the market even further?
The excitement these two games will generate will certainly bring more
attention to our already popular gaming genre. Millions of World of
Warcraft players have been chomping at the bit to get more time in
Azeroth, and Wrath of the Lich King looks to be just another step in
the right direction for that ever-changing game.



That said, hundreds of thousands of non-video gaming Warhammer fans
will finally take their first dive into these persistent, epic worlds
through their Warhammer Online portal. Even more players from World of
Warcraft and other MMOGs will be siphoned off and try their hand at
Warhammer Online, vying to take the top spots in href="http://guilds.camelotherald.com/realms/index.php?server=Bedevere&t=guilds"
target="_blank">EA Mythic’s RvR leaderboards.
Unlike World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online will have a clean slate to
work with, and many gamers will be willing to try their hands at the
latest MMOG to hit the market.



In truth, MMOG developers really haven’t seen anything
comparable to this situation since the genre really began hitting its
stride in early 2000. Even the competition between EverQuest II and the
original release of WoW isn’t comparable. The market was a
fraction of its size in those days, and both games were new entrants
into the market. While Warhammer Online is a new entry, gamers know
exactly what they’re going to get with World of Warcraft.
However, if Warhammer Online succeeds in carrying its own weight, there
could be a massive migration from WoW to WAR as Warhammer aficionados
opt for the universe that they’ve enjoyed for years.



But is all this excitement really good for the online marketplace?



Many columnists have argued that the larger the collision between these
two companies, the more the entire industry benefits. As all eyes are
drawn to the two combatants, the individuals with money will be
clamoring all over themselves to try to vie for a piece of the pie.
Development studios with big ideas will score href="http://www.tentonhammer.com/node/31906" target="_blank">nice
wads of cash, and new products will certainly be heading to
store shelves for gamers to play with.

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Warhammer Online is
the upcoming contender for the MMOG crown.

However, if the hegemony of World of Warcraft is split into Warhammer
Online, will there really be enough gamers to go around between the
other studios that are currently creating games? World of Warcraft
certainly stands at the top of the heap in North American and Europe,
but what if another major player is thrown into the mix? On top of
that, still other companies are looking to release their games along
similar time lines; Stargate Worlds, Lord of the Rings: Mines of Moria,
Jumpgate Evolution and a number of other developers are all looking
squarely at that Fall 2008 time slot. Will there really be enough
people to insure that all of those products succeed?



That said, I really can’t see a competition between WoW and
WAR doing anything but help strengthen the marketplace and reinforce
the quality gaming experience that gamers have come to expect.
Competition is one of the driving factors behind the success of most
individuals and nations, and having a measure of competition in the
MMOG marketplace will only bolster the success of MMOGs. As EA Mythic
and Blizzard Activision throw dollars into the air to help attract
gamers, the online advertisers will feel that benefit as well, allowing
sites like Ten Ton Hammer to bring you more quality coverage on the
games you enjoy.



But what are your thoughts? Do you think WoW and WAR will launch close
to one another? What will be the consequences of those decisions? Tell
us more in the forums!