The Old Republic affects Activision-Blizzard stock

Star Wars: The Old Republic has done more than just excite Star Wars fans. A new survey has indicated that anywhere from 900,000 to 1.6M players will migrate from World of Warcraft to The Old Republic, and as a result, Lazard Capital Markets has downgraded publisher Activision Blizzard stock from “buy” to “neutral”.

This follows Actvision Blizzard shares dipping in light of World of Warcraft subscribership dropping in the past few months. Ominously, Vivendi recently sold 35 million shares of Activision Blizzard stock.

The scientific survey of nearly 400 online World of WarCraft customers revealed that around 50% of them planned to purchase The Old Republic. However, in the same survey, a third of the players also stated they’d re-subscribe to World of Warcraft when the fifth expansion, Mists of Pandaria, comes out.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is due to be released on the 20th December.