Star Wars: The Old Republic Arriving In Time For Holidays

BioWare on Saturday revealed the long-awaited release dates for major MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic: December 20 for North America and December 22 for Europe. By arriving just before Christmas, BioWare, along with parent Electronic Arts and partner LucasArts, can catch the final couple of days before the end of the key holiday shopping rush. EA is counting on the success of The Old Republic to get a bigger foothold in the subscription-based MMORPG market, one that is dominated by Blizzard's World of Warcraft. When EA acquired BioWare in 2007, the then-unnamed Star Wars MMO was a key factor in the $860 million buyout, which at the time also included the now-defunct Pandemic Studios. The Old Republic is developed by BioWare Austin, and is the first MMORPG for BioWare, which develops games including Dragon Age and Mass Effect across its various studios. Ray Muzyka, cofounder of BioWare and general manager of the BioWare label said in a statement, "This is an incredible moment for everyone at BioWare and our partners at LucasArts who have dedicated so much of their lives to building this extraordinary game." BioWare, known for weaving intricate storylines in its RPGs, has been touting that The Old Republic will convey a deep, coherent story, which is much easier to do in a single-player RPG than it is in an MMORPG. The Old Republic has full voice acting, is set thousands of years prior to Darth Vader and includes eight primary character classes. The game is available for preorder while supplies last. EA and BioWare stated recently that they will limit presales in order to help guarantee online stability of the game when it launches. EA said that the game has already broken preorder records for the publisher. A copy of the game includes a 30 day subscription, and after that, access costs $14.99 per month, $41.97 for three months ($13.99 per month), or $77.94 for six months ($12.99 per month). In the UK, subscriptions will be £8.99 per month, £25.17 for three months (£8.39 per month) or £46.14 for six months (£7.69 per month). European pricing will be €12.99 per month, €35.97 for three months (€11.99 per month) or €65.94 for six months (€10.99 per month).