Remember last week when Bobby Kotick from Activision expressed his doubts over Star Wars: The Old Republic’s profitability? Here’s your answer, Mr. Kotick: Since going into beta, over two million players have spent time in the world of SWTOR, with over nine million hours of playtime between them. This is certainly good news for EA, which has a huge, huge pile of money invested in the Bioware-helmed MMO, and it shows that when it comes to demand, Star Wars: The Old Republic is right where it needs to be.

Right now, the paid MMO market is dominated by World of Warcraft. The game still boasts 10 million players, and its expansions have seen unrivaled success. It’s a phenomenon more than a game, and challengers to the throne have never been in short supply – Aion was supposed to be the game that killed WoW, much like Warhammer Online before it. Many in the industry think that SWTOR has the potential to knock WoW from its perch, but I’m just not convinced.

The thing about MMOs is that you play them with your friends. I, for example, still play World of Warcraft because it’s how my sister and I hang out despite being a thousand miles apart. Back when I lead a guild (BWL days), it was made up of real-life friends. Hell, our main tank was my girlfriend. And I wouldn’t have left WoW to play another game unless everyone came along with me. I think quite a few people that would play SWTOR are in that position – and it’s definitely not limited to WoW players.

There are certainly going to be people that move from WoW to SWTOR. But I doubt enough people will leave one for the other to significantly impair World of Warcraft. Because, you see, that’s the distinction we have to make – sure, The Old Republic may land two, five, or even eight million subscribers, but in order for it to down WoW, those people can’t be playing both games. For The Old Republic to “win” the battle, a massive number of people will have to abandon WoW and play The Old Republic instead.

I don’t think we’re going to see that type of activity, and we’re definitely not going to see it right at launch. Then again, WoW has already lost two million subscribers this year, so anything’s possible.

What do you think? Can any game topple the WoW empire, or is it something that just has to fade with time?

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