The Old Republic Goes Free To Play
We’ve known for a while that Bioware was entertaining the idea of bringing Star Wars: The Old Republic into the realm of free-to-play. And with recent layoffs and the loss of its Executive Producer, the outlook of the game hasn’t exactly been looking bright.
Yesterday, Bioware officially announced that the game will be dropping in price to $15 starting August 7th. Then, in November, the game will drop further in price, to free. Now we know you can already play the game up to level 15 without paying, but in the new model, you’ll be able to reach level 50 without dropping a single dime. However, like most free MMO’s, there will be restrictions.
You can refer to the chart below to see the full list of differences between the paid and free versions of the game. And for those who choose to shell out the cash, you will be receiving extra rewards in the form of Cartel Coins. These coins are given out for each month you are subscribed (plus you’ll get comped for each month you already paid for). You can trade them in for a variety of items that will be on the forthcoming Cartel Market.
So for those of you that have been on the fence about the game, or even just didn’t feel like paying every month, come this November, you’ll be able to take a crack at the game. It makes you wonder though, with as strong a start at The Old Republic had, is there really room for a pay-to-play MMO in the market anymore?
