Will SWTOR succeed in Asia?

"Everyday we take the Massive daily posts and bring them to Dragoon discussions. We would like to thank Massively for their original content."

Gamers (and game executives) are fond of comparing Star Wars: The Old Republic to World of Warcraft. Forums are rife both with discussions on how TOR will (or will not) dethrone the reigning MMO subscription champ and with arguments regarding similar game mechanics.

One thing I haven't seen mentioned is a prediction on whether or not SWTOR will succeed in the Asian market. We know, for example, that a huge portion of WoW's 12 million users came from the Far East, and sales suggest that Eastern gaming audiences are very different from their Western counterparts (see the ongoing popularity and profitability of games like Aion and Lineage II, which draw contemptuous sneers from American audiences -- if they notice them at all).

When you compare BioWare's focus on narrative with Blizzard's focus on progression, it's very possible to see TOR falling short of WoW's Asian success. What do you think, Massively readers? Will TOR conquer the Asian MMO market?

TH

only if they make it grind heavy and have play time limitations so asians don't die of heart attacks.