BioWare’s development cost of The Old Republic has been a hot subject of debate throughout its long beta and even into launch. Some numbers tossed around were as low as 80 million, while others reached as high as 300 million. Now an analyst with Cowen & Co told the Wall Street Journal that the game may have cost half a billion dollars to EA:

“I think it’s safe to say that the total all-in investment in ‘Star Wars’ is probably approaching half a billion dollars,” Creutz says. “EA has minimized its risks as much as it can on this bet, but it’s still a risky bet. To the extent that any one game defines his tenure, it’s going to be how ‘Star Wars’ performs.”

Of course that number probably includes the costs associated with EA buying BioWare during the development of the game, but if it’s true it puts even more pressure on the game to be a true WoW killer and amass millions of subscribers.