On the outskirts of Gamescom, Bioware promised a new expansion for 2015 for the Free2Play MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic, SWTOR. A console port was ruled out for the near future.
The Creative Director of Shadow Realms, Jeff Ohlsen, also dropped some information about the Free2Play MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic. It proves to be a long-lasting and successful title. Last month, it appeared in the Top-5 of the most profitable MMOs with a quasi-subscription model, and on Raptr, it belongs to the top 20 most popular games in July overall, and recently SWTOR made it to the throne of our list of Top Free2Play MMOs (probably it was welcomed with decreasing ecstasy over these accolades).
While many newer MMOs take the leap to consoles and become cross-platform titles, like the MMOs from SOE or Final Fantasy XIV, such a thing is unthinkable for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Every time, Ohlsen says, when he brings the suggestion to his technicians, they declare him crazy. The engine poses significant difficulties for a console port; it simply wasn’t designed for that. And switching the controls is a nightmare for the technicians. SWTOR was clearly designed with mouse and keyboard in mind.
But Ohlsen also has good news for Star Wars fans. They have already speculated that SWTOR would be treated with neglect after being removed from the official canon. But not at all: For 2015, they are planning an as-yet-unannounced expansion. Bioware has a lot in store for Star Wars: The Old Republic in 2015; with the launch of the new films, they hope for an increase in interest in the franchise.
Speaking of expansions: Tomorrow, the free-to-play digital expansion “Galactic Strongholds” will be deployed to the live servers. Initially, only subscribers will have access to player accommodations, guild flagships, and more.
