The force is strong with this one: two million people took part in the Old Republic beta, more than 725,000 over the Thanksgiving weekend. An average of 12 hours per player was recorded, a whopping nine million hours total. However you look at it, those are some impressive figures. Despite it being a weekend traditionally known for family togetherness, arguments, breakdowns, drinking, cranberry sauce, old friendships and mental anguish, thousands upon thousands of players still managed to jump into an MMO.
Calling it one of the biggest beta tests in history, EA went on to say that they planned to market the game in a different way to other high profile targets, focussing on the long term nature of the game rather than the immediate thrill of playing. If the beta is anything to go by, there's going to be far less fighting over the Christmas period and far more of these guys.
The game releases on 20th December, but remember that EA are limiting copies to begin with – get in quickly if you want to be amongst the first to play.