"Why is the economy singling out WAR?"

Devil's Advocate: because WAR is, at it's heart, a game with some nice ideas, but poorly implemented. It's the sort of game that people might play as a second-choice MMO when they're a bit bored of their first choice, but it's simply not good enough to ever appeal to the mass market as a first-choice MMO.

And when times are tough, it's the second account that goes. The first-choice MMO is still unbelievable value for money and the cheapest fun you can have during a recession.