SWTOR Release Date Announced at Eurogamer
BREAKING: BioWare announced December 20, 2011 for US and December 22 for EU as release date for Star Wars: The Old Republic.
BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk made the announcement during their keynote address at Eurogamer Expo in London, UK. Dr. Muzyka said this of the announcement:
This is an incredible moment for everyone at BioWare and our partners at LucasArts who have dedicated their lives to build this extraordinary game. We appreciate the patience from the millions of fans who have been waiting for the games release.
In addition to the release date, BioWare also announced the subscription pricing. Read after the break for the full announcement from the official site.
UPDATE: Eurogamer interviewed Drs. Muzyka and Zeschuk about the game release. Details after the jump.
UPDATE 2: Our audio and media gallery of the panel are now available below.
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UPDATE 3: The transcription of the announcement from the panel audio is now available after the break.
UPDATE 4: A quick post release date announcement interview with Stephen Reid is now available on Page 2 in both audio and text form for your consumption.
UPDATE 5: We added the official forums statement from BioWare senior management to Page 3.
UPDATE 6: The press release from BioWare was added to Page 4.
Dr. Ray Muzyka: You think we should announce something else?
Dr. Greg Zeschuk: Well, we came all this distance. It's a long trip and we feel we've given you a lot of stuff. But we haven't given you everything.
Dr. Ray Muzyka: Yeah. That's a good point. We're in Europe with our great fans here in the U.K. and all the great fans over the world. What would be a better place to announce the day that we're launching the game?
(applause)
Dr. Ray Muzyka: Alright. So, remember to pre-order early to get early access to the game. You'll get guaranteed access as well. To make sure that the quality of the game and servers are really high at launch, we're going to make sure that the number of people coming in is balanced against that. The day that we're launching Star Wars: The Old Republic is December 22nd, 2011 in Europe and December 20th, 2011 in North America.
(applause)
BioWare
BioWare and LucasArts are pleased to announce that Star Wars: The Old Republic will launch on December 20, 2011 in North America and on December 22, 2011 in the European Launch Territories! The announcement was first made by BioWare co-founders Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk during their keynote address at the 2011 Eurogamer Expo in London, England. Speaking to a packed room of press and fans alike, Dr. Muzyka acknowledged the weight of the moment and the patience of the fans."This is an incredible moment for everyone at BioWare and our partners at LucasArts who have dedicated their lives to build this extraordinary game. We appreciate the patience from the millions of fans who have been waiting for the game's release.
Each copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic will come with 30 days of subscription time, after which you have the option to continue playing with one of the following monthly subscription fees:
- 1 Month Subscription: $14.99 (8.99 UK/12.99 EU)
- 3 Month Subscription: $13.99 per month (one-time charge of $41.97/25.17 UK/35.97 EU)
- 6 Month Subscription: $12.99 per month (one-time charge of $77.94/46.14 UK/65.94 EU)
Those who have pre-ordered the game and entered their pre-order code on StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com are eligible for Early Game Access. If you haven't yet reserved your copy of the game, be sure to visit our Pre-Order page and secure your place in the Old Republic now!
We want to thank you for your continued passion, dedication and support. Though one part of this incredible journey is coming to an end, we are confident that you all share our excitement for this new beginning. Be sure to check back to StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com as well as our Twitter and Facebook pages for all the latest news and updates on Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Eurogamer interviewed Drs. Muzyka and Zeschuk about the release date announcement. In the interview, Dr. Zeschuk spoke about the size and speed of the game release, and compared the release to similar MMORPG's.
What's interesting is that [Star Wars: The Old Republic] is going from zero to 60 immediately. When we flip that switch to go on, it's global.
Read the full interview at Eurogamer. Video of the release date announcement is available at Eurogamer as well.
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Posted 9/24/2011 7:14:27 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 9/24/2011 7:01:57 PMStill, it's good to finally know for sure.
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Posted 9/24/2011 7:43:18 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 9/24/2011 8:09:12 PMKotOR I started playing a few weeks back, had planned all along to replay before swtor. Kind of surprising just how playable it still is. I'm working through the Sith Academy right now, nearing the end of the game.
I'm not sure why I didn't think about this earlier, but the 20th is after Galaxies ends, isn't it. Wonder if that's a coincidence?
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Posted 9/24/2011 8:35:14 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 9/25/2011 1:49:23 AM- View User Profile
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Posted 9/24/2011 6:50:33 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 9/25/2011 7:30:34 PMI thank God every day for WAR; mostly because, I think that game showed EA, in a fist-to-face sort of way, that you can't rush out an MMO with an established name and expect it to just sell itself. BioWare is never going to have a "bug-free" game at launch (no MMO is "bug-free", even years after the initial launch). But if the bugs are minor, and the experience is fairly smooth, word-of-mouth is going to be gold for your game.
Luckily, EA has given BioWare time to polish, to add more features, to continue to improve; I'm not sure that would've happened - EA's new found patience - without the mistakes of WAR.
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Posted 9/26/2011 2:38:58 PMEither way it showed EA to give time and money to MMO projects if they want them to make money.
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Posted 9/24/2011 6:49:35 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 9/24/2011 6:12:22 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 9/24/2011 6:08:44 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 9/24/2011 6:14:02 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 9/24/2011 6:13:12 PM- View User Profile
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Posted 9/24/2011 5:53:14 PMThe date speaks to me of a development team anxious to keep promises made to the money men it would ship in 2011 and sure they made the "Holiday 2011" target but this is probably the absolute, last ditch, 11th hour latest they could have released within that window.
Also, launching at a time when a lot of people are on holiday from work and school invites even more server overload than would already have been the case putting even more pressure on support and infrastructure.