That is a ridiculous number
Electronic Arts isn’t trying to be Greedo greedy, just ambitious when it says that it expects Star Wars Battlefront to move 13 million copies. Maybe realistic, too. The Star Wars maelstrom of fandom is at a fever pitch between this game and the upcoming film. #Synergy on-point, everyone.
As reported by IGN, EA upped its Battlefront estimates from 10 million to 13 million in an investors’ call yesterday. “We feel very good about 13 million units,” COO Peter Moore said. The beta was played by 9 million people, but that’s a free product. That statistic indicates some degree of interest, but doesn’t necessarily fully translate to willingness to buy.
EA’s original prediction of 10 million was based on the history of the other two Battlefront titles. They each sold about 9 million units. The publisher shifted that a bit for the collective Star Wars hype (and then shifted it a bit further).
For perspective’s sake, 13 million is a ton of copies. Like, that’s Call of Duty-big. Last year, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare had sold 11.4 million through its first month, and that was with the added benefit of 5 million of the sales coming from legacy platforms. Granted, Advanced Warfare was the lowest performance the series had seen in a while.
Star Wars Battlefront will need a launch similar to Call of Duty if it’s going to hit its projections. If it succeeds, it could very well be the best-selling game of the year. Star Wars is coming for your throne, Call of Duty. And, as Steven and I learned in Tokyo last month, you come at the king, you best not miss.
Star Wars Battlefront: EA Feels ‘Very Good’ About 13 Million Sales [IGN]
