Blizzard: Old Republic can grow MMO market "if done right"

Blizzard boss Frank Pearce has said BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic can bring in growth to the MMO market, but only if it's "done right."

Speaking to MCV, Pearce said the MMO, the biggest competitor so far to Blizzard's World of Warcraft, said that, as it was to Warcraft, building a universe that people hold dear would be a key driver for The Old Republic.

"This is a game that has an opportunity to grow the MMO market if done right and therefore is very important to the industry as a whole, not just EA," he said.

Blizzard CEO Mike Morhaime added the company hopes to see the title do well.

"It’s certainly a strong franchise and BioWare’s a great developer," he said.

"We’ve talked about this internally and from our perspective we hope they make an enjoyable game because they’re going to bring in a lot of new players to the MMO genre, and those players’ idea of whether or not they like this type of game is going to be determined by that experience."

Earlier this week, EA confirmed that 1.5 million users had signed up for the MMO's beta.

It'll release later this year, but not before July 1.