EA ‘probably’ spent $0.5bn on Old Republic

We’ll never know exactly how much EA spent on bankrolling BioWare’s first MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic, but one analyst reckons the total figure could be close to half a billion dollars.

“I think it’s safe to say that the total all-in investment in Star Wars is probably approaching half a billion dollars,” Cowen & Co analyst Doug Creutz told MarketWatch.

“EA has minimised its risks as much as it can on this bet, but it’s still a risky bet. To the extent that any one game defines his (John Riccitiello) tenure, it’s going to be how ‘Star Wars’ performs.”

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