14 DAY TRIAL // Star Wars: The Old Republic, the recent MMORPG from BioWare and EA, has seen more than 2 million new players join it after going free-to-play in November of last year and the studio has just posted a special announcement about the feedback it generated from the big change.
Star Wars: The Old Republic came out in December of 2011 and, while it promised to deliver a stunning MMORPG experience, the game didn't exactly draw in many paying subscribers.
As a result, BioWare and EA announced that they would turn the online experience into a free-to-play one that allows any player to play it without paying a single cent, although there are options to make a monthly subscription in exchange for certain benefits.
Now, Star Wars: The Old Republic Executive Producer Jeff Hickman has posted a statement on the game's blog and discussed the free-to-play shift and its results.
"Since launch of the Free-to-Play option we have had over 2 million new accounts created and have thousands of new players jumping in every single day. This means more people to play with, more growth for your guilds, more Warzone matches, and more ways for players to continue to advance their characters," he said.
"Even though there’s bound to be dissent about every aspect of MMOs on the internet these days, player feedback, in general, has been very positive about the new things in the game. We’re committed to continuing our 8-week new content cadence, and are looking forward to the launch of the first Digital Expansion: Rise of the Hutt Cartel this spring."
What's more, new features and customization options are coming to the game and the team is trying to resolve the various complaints or suggestions coming from active players.
"Our major focus after Rise of the Hutt Cartel launches is going to be on 'quality of life' improvements. We will keep at it, I promise. We’ll keep listening to your feedback and continue to dedicate ourselves to making the game the best it can be. Nothing is more important to us than getting it right."
Star Wars: The Old Republic will see the release of its first full-fledged expansion this spring in the form of the Rise of the Hutt Cartel, which introduces many new features and a new planet called Makeb.