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As with most new subscription-based MMOs, it seems that the big question about Star Wars: The Old Republic is not if it'll go free-to-play, but when. BioWare has said it's having a good look at that market, but isn't yet announcing any concrete plans to move into it.
QUICKTAKE: The focus of BioWare's E3 presentation this year was about all the grand things they had planned through the end of 2012--from the new planet of Makeb, taken over by the Hutt Cartel, through a new 8v8 war zone on Selene, to a new playable race called the Cathar. Unfortunately, what was missing was any actual footage or gameplay aside from the quickest of cuts in the E3 trailer. What was shown was a small snippet from a new heroic mission, where players must thwart the Dread Masters from getting control of a super weapon called the Aurora Cannon on the planet of Belsavis.
The Star Wars: The Old Republic presentation at E3 didn't reveal too many surprises, other than an announcement that the 1.3 Allies patch for the game will be starting its public beta test tomorrow.
James Ohlen, senior creative director at BioWare Austin, told Shacknews that the public beta was green lit about two hours ago and they want to make it live as soon as possible tomorrow, barring any last minute glitches. They will let enough people into the public beta to replicate a fully populated server. Read more »
We've seen plenty of MMOs making the move to free-to-play, and we've wondered if Star Wars: The Old Republic won't eventually head in that direction. While BioWare isn't giving up the premium price ghost yet, it took a seeming half-step in that direction today with the announcement of the game going free-to-play through level 15.
Although it launched to great fanfare, it's clear that The Old Republic is struggling. Electronic Arts revealed a startling drop of 25 percent of its subscriber base since launch, and has since announced layoffs at BioWare Austin, the team behind the expensive MMO. But, how dire is the situation, really?
One dedicated fan wanted to find out exactly how many people are on The Old Republic's servers. "What is going to happen when server transfers go live," SWTOR user Scorpienne asked. "How many people are on which servers?"
Does your virtual garage in Forza 4 feel a bit empty? Would some Porsches make you feel better? New DLC will let you spend your hard-earned Microsoft Points for some sweet new rides. Then, Star Wars: The Old Republic continues to struggle. Today, EA announced layoffs at BioWare Austin, the team working on the MMO. Finally, some different MMO news: Marvel Heroes is formally revealed.
Check out today's episode of Shacknews Daily.
Perhaps this news was inevitable, given the struggles high-profile MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic has faced since launch. Publisher Electronic Arts has announced plans to "restructure" BioWare Austin, weeks after announcing a subscriber loss of nearly 25 percent. In a statement to Shacknews, the publisher said: "BioWare has restructured its studio in Austin today. Of the employees impacted, some will be able to join other projects within EA, others will leave the company. These are very difficult decisions, but it allows us to focus our staff to maintain and grow Star Wars: The Old Republic."
BioWare and Electronic Arts are planning yet another attempt to harness more new blood to populate Star Wars: The Old Republic. Starting this Thursday, May 17 at 12:01 AM CDT, the MMOs latest Weekend Pass Free Trial will be open to all those who haven't participated in any previous trials for the game set long, long ago in a galaxy far, far away.
Star Wars: The Old Republic subscribers see a massive drop. What does that mean for the fate of BioWare and EA's ambitious MMO set in a galaxy far, far away? Then, care for some PS3 games for a dollar? How about some of the best games available on the platform? The PixelJunk series celebrates its anniversary with a dollar sale. Finally, we take a look at Spec Ops: The Line. The demo is now available on PS3 and Xbox 360, and coming soon to PC.
Check out today's episode of Shacknews Daily.
Star Wars: The Old Republic has seen a dramatic loss in subscribers, moving from 1.7 million users in February to 1.3 million users at the end of March. In a conference call, Electronic Arts said the loss of 400K users was due to the drop-off of casual and trial users after the game's first billing cycle.
While the situation may seem dire for the ambitious online game, EA emphasized that the 1.3 million base users fell within the expectation the company had when it purchased BioWare back in 2007. The company also reiterated that TOR is still "profitable" and the number two MMO on the market.
Read more: The blueprints for fun battles are definitely there »
As with every online game, Star Wars: The Old Republic must constantly offer something new for subscribers to come back to. While the 1.2 update ("Legacy") launched only a month ago, Electronic Arts and BioWare have announced plans for the next content update, titled "Allies."
Little else is known about the update, other than it will be available in EA's fiscal "Q1" time frame--or before the end of June.
Lighter server populations--especially during peak hours--have led some to believe that Star Wars: The Old Republic is shedding subscribers only four months after launch. Not so, says developer BioWare. Subscription numbers are steady, it claims, but the developer does concede that the game has seen a dip in logins. To that end, the BioWare is up for trying "anything and everything" to increase user engagement.
Looking increasingly desperate, or perhaps considerate, BioWare has expanded its offer of 30 days free game time for Star Wars: The Old Republic players. Initially only offered to those with a character that's hit the level cap of 50, the free time will now be given to those who've hit level 6 in SWTOR's new Legacy system.
Star Wars: The Old Republic seems to have faded from the collective gamer consciousness a bit. Not coincidentally, BioWare has announced various perks coming alongside the new Legacy 1.2 update, which seem squarely aimed at attracting new players and bringing old ones back into the fold.
Remember when Leia "knew" she was related to Luke, brother and sister separated across the stars? All your Star Wars: The Old Republic alts can get that same feeling when you are able to "relate" them through the new Legacy system in update 1.2, which finally comes out tomorrow.
Weekend Confirmed 166 - Xbox One
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