MMO set in a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away goes free to play.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is the improbably epic Massively Multiplayer Online RPG developed by
Bioware and featuring a story which takes place thousands of years before the popular movie saga.
Launched in December 2011 and with a development cost rumoured to be around $200 million dollars,
The Old Republic was initially sold on a subscription basis, with players paying a monthly fee to travel through the immense story, murder-killing things with a light sabre.
Just shy of a year on,
Bioware and publishers EA
have launched a Free-to-Play option for
The Old Republic, giving players the chance to experience the complete storylines of all eight iconic Star Wars classes, all the way up to level 50, for no cost.
“We want to give our players the freedom to enjoy
Star Wars: The Old Republic when and how they want,” said
Matthew Bromberg, General Manager of
BioWare Austin. “There has never been a better time to start playing with us.”
Given the cost of the title, it must be quite a blow to have to serve it up for free less than 12 months down the road but the free to play route has been swallowing up many top drawer MMOs in recent years, grabbing extra coin in the form of microtransactions and fast tracked levelling.
The free to play launch coincides with a major game update, adding new areas, companions and more including:
• Get ready for an action-packed adventure to earn control of one of the galaxy’s most deadly Assassins, HK-51. Submerged beneath the icy surface of Belsavis lies a derelict ship and if you are brave enough to venture through the wreckage, you will embark on a mission that ultimately rewards you with a powerful new, yet familiar, ally the ruthless Assassin Droid, HK-51.
• Explore Section X, a previously untouched area of the prison world of Belsavis. The Dread Masters’ servants are searching for a powerful and ancient weapon. Fly to Section X and secure the target of their search to be richly rewarded.
• Travel to Denova to take on Operation: Explosive Conflict – now with a Nightmare Mode! Teams who complete in this new mode can earn the final pieces of the Dread Guard gear set and a brand new mount that will be sure to cause tank envy!
For more info on accessing the free to play version of
Star Wars: The Old Republic, head to
the official site.