Analysts predict 3 million sales for Star Wars MMO

Research carried out by Cowen analysts suggest that Star Wars: The Old Republic is on track to sell 3 million units in its first year, after pre-order excitement has surpassed that of last year's Starcraft 2 or World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm.

Cowen's pre-order analysis has led it to raise its estimates for both sell through, from 1.5 million to 3 million, and run-rate subscriber numbers from 1 million to 2 million.

Both Starcraft 2 and World Of Warcraft: Cataclysm sold over 4 million units.

The Bioware MMO has been available for pre-order since July 21, and is due for release at the end of the year.

The news, along with few risks in EA's strategy, lead Cowen to change its forecast for EA shares, and now believes them to have "at least a 25 per cent upside relative to the market over the next 12 months," upgrading EA's rating from Neutral to Outperform.