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A convergence of epic proportions is happening. The two giants in the gaming industry – Blizzard Activision and EA – are setting to square off this autumn in a marketplace that has driven the games industry into the money-making stratosphere. Through their acquisition of Mythic, the folks at EA are hoping to pull off an enormous monetary upset with their upcoming game Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning and turn the tide on the continual success of Blizzard Activision’s World of Warcraft. However, Blizzard’s release of Wrath of the Lich King may interfere with those plans, especially if the monolithic MMOG company decides to release WotLK anywhere near the release date for Warhammer Online.

From the reports that are coming in from Paris, the release of WotLK may come as soon as early fall or “the holiday season.” It seems that the developers at Blizzard have been crunching like mad in preparation for the release of Wrath of the Lich King, and if you take a look at all of Ten Ton Hammer’s material from the Blizzard WWI, you’ll notice that there is a whole bevy of new information and “concrete” type declarations that point squarely at a “holiday season” release for the upcoming expansion pack.

World of Warcraft is looking to extend its domination of the MMOG market with Wrath of the Lich King.

Although EA Mythic has delayed the release of Warhammer Online in the past, it seems that the game is squarely on track to hit their latest release date, which would also make the game a viable option for a holiday season release. Although an open beta would be a concrete indicator of the release date, rumors around the internet speak of the quality gameplay and forward-reaching steps EA Mythic has made in their upcoming release. By all accounts, it sounds like they’re on track.

Like many of you, I can only wonder what sort of result a WAR / WotLK simultaneous (or near to it) release would accomplish. If the two video game titans opt to duke it out in a head-to-head competition, would more gamers be drawn to MMOGs, thus expanding the market even further? The excitement these two games will generate will certainly bring more attention to our already popular gaming genre. Millions of World of Warcraft players have been chomping at the bit to get more time in Azeroth, and Wrath of the Lich King looks to be just another step in the right direction for that ever-changing game.

That said, hundreds of thousands of non-video gaming Warhammer fans will finally take their first dive into these persistent, epic worlds through their Warhammer Online portal. Even more players from World of Warcraft and other MMOGs will be siphoned off and try their hand at Warhammer Online, vying to take the top spots in EA Mythic’s RvR leaderboards. Unlike World of Warcraft, Warhammer Online will have a clean slate to work with, and many gamers will be willing to try their hands at the latest MMOG to hit the market.

In truth, MMOG developers really haven’t seen anything comparable to this situation since the genre really began hitting its stride in early 2000. Even the competition between EverQuest II and the original release of WoW isn’t comparable. The market was a fraction of its size in those days, and both games were new entrants into the market. While Warhammer Online is a new entry, gamers know exactly what they’re going to get with World of Warcraft. However, if Warhammer Online succeeds in carrying its own weight, there could be a massive migration from WoW to WAR as Warhammer aficionados opt for the universe that they’ve enjoyed for years.

But is all this excitement really good for the online marketplace?

Many columnists have argued that the larger the collision between these two companies, the more the entire industry benefits. As all eyes are drawn to the two combatants, the individuals with money will be clamoring all over themselves to try to vie for a piece of the pie. Development studios with big ideas will score nice wads of cash, and new products will certainly be heading to store shelves for gamers to play with.

Warhammer Online is the upcoming contender for the MMOG crown.

However, if the hegemony of World of Warcraft is split into Warhammer Online, will there really be enough gamers to go around between the other studios that are currently creating games? World of Warcraft certainly stands at the top of the heap in North American and Europe, but what if another major player is thrown into the mix? On top of that, still other companies are looking to release their games along similar time lines; Stargate Worlds, Lord of the Rings: Mines of Moria, Jumpgate Evolution and a number of other developers are all looking squarely at that Fall 2008 time slot. Will there really be enough people to insure that all of those products succeed?

That said, I really can’t see a competition between WoW and WAR doing anything but help strengthen the marketplace and reinforce the quality gaming experience that gamers have come to expect. Competition is one of the driving factors behind the success of most individuals and nations, and having a measure of competition in the MMOG marketplace will only bolster the success of MMOGs. As EA Mythic and Blizzard Activision throw dollars into the air to help attract gamers, the online advertisers will feel that benefit as well, allowing sites like Ten Ton Hammer to bring you more quality coverage on the games you enjoy.

But what are your thoughts? Do you think WoW and WAR will launch close to one another? What will be the consequences of those decisions? Tell us more in the forums!