SW:TOR Will Try Going Freemium

Star Wars: The Old Republic is going free-to-play this November, according to a report by GamesIndustry International.

The first 50 levels of the game and all eight character classes will be available to free-to-play players, and will come accompanied with certain restrictions that can be unlocked with the in-game currency Cartel Coins – which, of course, can be purchased with real money.

“Players want flexibility and choice. The subscription-only model presented a major barrier for a lot of people who wanted to become part of The Old Republic universe,” said Matthew Bromberg, General Manager of BioWare Austin.

But while that is more than true, EA has also admitted that subscriber numbers for SW:TOR have dipped below 1-million, a startling number for an MMORPG that began life by stealing the hearts of World of Warcraft players.

BioWare executive producer Jeff Hickman was also reported as saying that the SW:TOR team has been “adding new content and refining The Old Republic at breakneck pace”, but while their content comes at a steady stream, it’s hard to tell how it’ll stand up against Blizzard’s incoming Mists of Pandaria expansion.

(Source: GamesIndustry International)