1 Million take to The Old Republic

Reports are surfacing that Bioware's new MMO Star Wars The Old Republic is already supporting over 1 million players, and the game hasn't even hit general release. Customers who pre-ordered were given early access, presumably to lessen loading times as players log in for the first time tomorrow (when the game goes on general sale).

Analyst Doug Creutz of Cowen & Company has revealed (in a note received by CVG) that "we feel fairly comfortable estimating that the game already has in excess of 1 million players, and potentially could have as many as 1.5 million, with the official launch date of the game yet to come."

These figures will be music to the ears of EA execs as they begin to take stock of another successful year for the publishing giants.

For everything you need to know about SWTOR, check out our essential guide.