Current estimates are that WoW has sold 11 Billion copies, which is a combination of digital and box sales. This does not account for free to try accounts, so consumers didn't have to buy the game to discover they didn't like it which significantly make this comparison worse imo.
So with 11 Billion copies sold and currently 10 million (rounded) active subscribers, WoW has lost 91% of the customers that have tried the game. Factoring in free to try accounts would probably push the retention numbers under 1 percent. However, WoW is ranked as the 11th best game of the all time top 200 games ever made, All Games here people. So how is using this basis for comparison justifying anything???
So with SWTOR having sold 1.7 million and retained just under 1 million last time I saw numbers released a few months ago, I would say that going with this method of comparison makes SWTOR appear to be a raging success. Even if you go with a guess-timated current number like 500K, SWTOR is a MONSTER of a SUCCESS and WOW IS TOTAL FAIL.
EPIC.
Figures Lie and Liars Figure. Using vague and obfusicating math to justify an argument is silly.
SWTOR is a phenomenal game and I"m loving, just had to have a laugh over the pages of people arguing the game is a failure but the method they are utilizing to prove this is the true FAILURE here.