The year has just begun, and now is the right time to look at the future of the great MMOs of this generation. What lies ahead for “Star Wars: The Old Republic“? What is the current state, what can fans expect, and what do critics fear?
In this article, I want to share my personal perspective on things. Of course, nothing is set in carbonite, and often things turn out differently than expected or feared. The text may contain light spoilers, so you have been warned.
The Current Situation: Heroic Story, Without Our Heroes
Just recently, the second digital expansion “Shadow of Revan” was released, and players received it with mixed feelings. Aside from new flashpoints and planets, the expansion primarily provided a conclusion to the story of the legendary “Revan,” which was built many years ago with “Knights of the Old Republic.” Fans had long yearned for a worthy end to this storyline and were not disappointed.
However, what many do not appreciate is the fact that you increasingly feel less like the “hero” in SWTOR that you actually are. For the first fifty levels, your personal story was told, where you made important decisions and slowly shaped the fate of the galaxy. With the first expansion, a different path began to be taken, and in the latest expansion, you are hardly more than an interchangeable quest slave with no connection to the past. This is, of course, much easier to develop but displeases the “role-playing” fans of BioWare.
The Question: “The Great Year 2015” – What Does It Mean?
They have made bold claims, stating that it will be a “great year” for the now three-year-old MMORPG. But what exactly does that mean for the players? What might the developers have in store that justifies such a statement? Is it ultimately “just” more cartel packs for real money, or will there be a real surprise? I would like to briefly present my “best case” and “worst case” scenarios here.
The Worst Case
There are many concerns within the community. For some players, the last expansion felt only like a very long “teaser” for what the future may bring. The fear is great that we will now have to wait far too long for a continuation of the story. And the “great year” 2015 still has a while to go. If the story continues only next December, then the wait for fans is quite long. Perhaps too long?
But there are also many unresolved questions in PvP. They briefly mentioned a possible server connection – or even a merger? What does that mean for the many established rivalries that have developed on the servers? Will we soon only have to hope for luck to beat fellow server players in PvP skirmishes?
Many questions also revolve around the cartel market, the “in-game shop” of SWTOR. Especially with “Galactic Starfighter,” it has gained significant importance, as players could convert “bad currency” into better ones – a clear advantage for players with deep pockets.
The housing system of “Galactic Strongholds” also offered many items that could only be purchased with real money currency. There is a fine line between “attractive items” and a disproportionate advantage for paying players, especially when a subscription model is still offered. A wrong decision could tip this balance, and once games are labeled “pay to win,” they often do not recover from it.
The Best Case
If the optimal case occurs, then fans will only have to wait until summer for fresh content. The new storyline with the resurgent Emperor of the Sith Empire could provide an incentive for many fans to take another look at the sci-fi MMO. The acting player characters would be brought back into the focus of the story – although this is not very likely, it is missed by many.
Especially the release of the new “Star Wars” movie could provide a boost in players – and at that time, the game should of course present itself in the best light. What would be more appropriate than to at least provide an update corresponding to the movie release? Although that will not happen until December of this year, there is still plenty of time to include at least a small expansion as a “snack in between.”
Further PvP battlefields and thus the connection of all servers would also be offered – but not a merger. Mega servers are currently a trend in the MMO scene but are viewed skeptically by many, as much of the sense of belonging built over three years would be lost. The positive aspect would definitely be the option to compete with players from other worlds – but not the compulsion. This way, one would not have to give up the opportunity to occasionally shove one’s hated rival off the Voidstar.
What Is Likely to Happen
Of course, things often turn out quite differently than hoped, and neither the worst fears nor the highest expectations will be met.
As SWTOR is now almost exclusively financed through the heavily utilized cartel market, it will likely continue to be expanded in the future. In addition to various cosmetic armors, more housing items, emotes, and of course new cartel packs will find their way into the game – because they still sell like hotcakes.
It is also beyond question that there will at least be an expansion in 2015 – it would be unwise to wait long after the movie release. On the other hand, we also know that BioWare often cannot meet temporal promises (as in the case of “Galactic Strongholds”) and will then invest a few more months into development.
I therefore suspect that we will see at least a small update by May – at least one or two flashpoints before we then announce the next big expansion for October, which will ultimately be delayed until December.
This would also be the ideal time to raise the maximum level again and reset the item spiral once more – a proven principle that still binds many players. Why should they depart from it?
If they at least reference the past of the hero characters in one or two quests, then the friends of character stories will probably be satisfied – at least for a while.
This article is part of our series where we take a look at MMOs for the new year, playing through scenarios and speculating about the future.
We recommend also checking out the previous articles in the series: The Elder Scrolls Online and Guild Wars 2.
