Early word on pre-orders from retailers for Upper Deck's first World of Warcraft TCG releases, Heroes of Azeroth Starters and Boosters, is that they are strong.  'Incredible,' GTS Distribution Director of Entertainment Products Barry Calhoun said when we asked him how orders were.  'Easily the most promising game in a couple of years.  We've not seen this much interest from the customer base in a long, long time.'

'World of Warcraft has taken on a life of its own,' another game distributor told us.

We asked Upper Deck how pre-orders from retailers and distributors were coming in, and the news is also good there.  'Upper Deck has received very positive reactions from the marketplace about the World of Warcraft property and our trading card game,' Upper Deck VP of Sales John Skrajewski said.  'Pre-sales of our licensed WoW items have exceeded our own expectations and we expect the upcoming October product launch to drive interest even higher.'

World of Warcraft:  Heroes of Azeroth streets October 25th; the WoW: Onyxia Lair Raid Deck will release in stores on November 22nd.

Upper Deck is supporting the launch with over 1500 events (see 'Upper Deck Plans 1500 'WoW TCG' Launch Events').

Distributors are telling us that they are being promised the Starter and Booster product they need to fill their orders, but that the limited edition Raid Decks are going to be in short supply.      

Skrajewski indicated that in general, supplies will be limited.  'We are planning for World of Warcraft to be a significant and important part of Upper Deck's portfolio of brands for years to come,' he said, 'and we are limiting our production quantities in order to help ensure this long-term success.'

With no major new CCG hits moving big volume at retail since Upper Deck's Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG was launched in early 2002 (Bandai's Naruto CCG, launched earlier this year, has potential but has been hampered by product shortages), and the over-all game market in decline for several years, the time is long past for a new product line to generate some excitement in the game industry.  Here's hoping that it's happening this month.