Bioware's massively multiplayer online role-playing game based in the Star Wars universe is going free-to-play on Nov. 15, according to an announcement on the game's official site.
The free to play release will be simultaneous across all of the territories and countries where The Old Republic is available, according to Bioware. Paying subscribers will be given all of the Complimentary Cartel Coins currently listed on their Cartel Coin Ledger page, plus a one-time grant of 250 Complimentary Cartel Coins.
Bioware will also be welcoming back previous subscribers who reactivate their subscription by Dec. 20. Those players will be receiving Complimentary Cartel Coins for their prior paid months up to Nov. 15.
According to Bioware's Developers Blog, the team is deep into the polish phase and is working on bringing "the complete experience up to the high quality level that our customers expect from a BioWare game."
Damion Schubert, Star Wars: The Old Republic Lead Designer said in the blog post, that the team was led by two core philosophies while switching to free-to-play. The first is that player will be able to reach a level 50 Cap without paying any money and the second is that subscribers should not experience any degradation of their gameplay experience.
"We not only met these goals, in my opinion, but exceeded expectations, Schubert wrote. "Subscribers will enjoy new benefits from the update, including two more quick slot bars, a new purchasable Cargo Hold tab, and a monthly grant of Complimentary Cartel Coins to spend however they like in the Cartel Market. Subscribers can also buy the same experience boosts available in the Cartel Market as Free-to-Play players, which allow characters to advance at a rapid pace."
In closing Schubert said that the free-to-play option would give a "huge boost for both the game and the community by giving more fans access to the game."
What do you think about the game becoming free-to-play? Will the extra players improve the game or make it worst for paying subscribers? Comment in the section below.
