The Old Republic Going Free to Play

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Starting in November 2012, players will be able to access levels 1-50 of the storylines for Star Wars: The Old Republic for FREE!

Gaming industry news source Gamasutra.com reports: "After less than a year on the market, The Old Republic is going free to play. In November, Electronic Arts plans to add a new free-to-play option on top of the existing subscription service, allowing users to play any character class up until level 50, albeit with a few restrictions on accessing new content and other game features."

A "free to play" business model is a method of publishing games most commonly seen in social (Facebook) and mobile games; but is also an expanding model for MMOs. It's often a switch made when a game starts to see falling subscription numbers. By allowing free access to games, a company can boost the number of participants, and instead supports the operation of the game (servers and new content) by allowing premium access and items to players willing to pay.

The news from EA follows on other disheartening numbers from the MMO standard, World of Warcraft, which lost 1 million subscribers in the last 3 months.

It also comes after significant bad news from the BioWare Austin studio which developed the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO. The studio has been forced to lay off a number of employees since the game's debut while key staff like executive producer Rich Vogel have since left the company.

Hopefully, the change will be for the better for fans of the franchise who haven't had the opportunity or funds to give the new game a try. BioWare regulars will certainly recognize familiar characters and archetypes that have characterized the studio's productions, and for fans of games in the sci-fi genre, The Old Republic may present itself as a diverting follow-up for those seeking something after the recently concluded Mass Effect franchise.

Incidentally, the original Knights of the Old Republic I and KOTOR II are also now available as a bundled package re-released as of July 27th, 20120!

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PhoenixTorque's avatar
As a loyal sub who plans to stay subbed even after F2P launches, I have to admit that this news is almost a good thing; certainly better than the recent server closes. However, there is one major thing that worries me: Cartel Coins.

One of the things I enjoy about playing games is being immersed in the world of the game. Why else do you think I write fanfiction? When there are NPCs bugging me to buy more content with "real" money (as much as I love Dragon Age: Origins, Dryden, I'm still looking at you), or certain aspects of the game inaccessible without additional in-game purchases with my real-life wallet, it breaks my immersion and I'm drawn back into the real world where I"m forced to think about things like bills and work. The lack of that is part of what I enjoy about SWTOR, and I'm worried that this will change it.

Overall I think that F2P will probably breathe some much-needed life into the game with old players and new players coming back in sub-free, but hopefully it won't downgrade the experience for those of us who are already supporting the game with our subs. I guess we will see come November...