Darth Hater

Star Wars: The Old Republic News, Interviews, Media & Podcast

  • Current Active Subscribers and New Content Announced

    Before today's Electronic Arts Q4 2012 Earnings Conference Call, a Financial Results page revealed a few details that may be of interest to fans of Star Wars: The Old Republic.

    STAR WARS®: The Old Republic™ active subscribers are 1.3 million. Two new content packs — Legacy and Allies, available in Q1.

    While unknown, it will likely receive a fair bit of discussion during today’s 2PM Q4 2012 Earnings Conference Call. When and if there are new details regarding the content packs, we’ll make sure to post it here.

    Update: Allison Berryman clarifies the "Allies pack."

    Allison BerrymanRegarding 1.3, there isn't a "guild alliances" feature slated for that update. 1.3 will introduce more new features (like the Group Finder) to the game, though! We encourage you to check out SWTOR.com and our community blog for more news about 1.3 as it becomes available!

    Update 2: During the conference call, Electronic Arts did not reveal anything concerning the "packs" themselves. However, a small tidbit was mentioned concerning upcoming content for the game.

    Frank Gibeau: We have a very aggressive release plan of content for the rest of the year and beyond. It's mainly focused in on adding a lot of new elder game content around PVP, around achievements, a lot of other features that the fanbase is asking for. There's also support that will be given to guilds, a lot of features and components that they are requesting as well.

  • Electronic Arts Q3 FY12 Earnings Call

    Electronic Arts held their Q3 FY12 earnings call this afternoon, and Darth Hater was on the call to pick up the highlights. The launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic was touted as largely successful. Server stability during the launch period exceeded internal expectations, allowing BioWare to push out additional copies that were expected to be held in reserve until Q4.

    Key Statistics:

    • 2,000,000+ copies sold – 40% sold through Origin
    • 1,700,000+ active subscribers – 1 million concurrent
    • Average session time was four hours during the first month and a half
    • 99.5% Server Uptime

    Additional key points from the conference call can be found after the jump.

    UPDATE: Exact quotes pulled from the "Prepared Comments" document are now also available after the jump.

  • Electronic Arts 2Q FY12 Earnings Call

    Electronic Arts held its Q2 2012 earnings conference call, where they discussed with their shareholders and analysts the potential revenue from Star Wars: The Old Republic now that it has a confirmed December 20, 2011 release date.

    In the prepared comments, EA COO Peter Moore talks about the SWTOR launch and some plans for the upcoming testing:

    Next, our biggest event of the year, the December 20th launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic.
    This is inarguably the most anticipated game of the year, an epic MMO that makes each player
    the hero of their own Star Wars saga. The Old Republic is in Beta right now and players are
    blown away by the immersive story, dynamic combat and authentic Star Wars feel. In the
    coming weeks we'll invite hundreds of thousands of players into our biggest Beta test to date.

    You can view the prepared comments document or listen to the recorded webcast on the official EA investor site.

  • EA at Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference

    Eric Brown, CFO of Electronic Arts, is at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference and "may disclose material developments affecting its business and/or financial performance." As Mr. Brown may discuss new details about Star Wars: The Old Republic, Darth Hater will cover the conference as it happens starting at 1:10P PT / 4:10P ET with a live blog and transcription. You can listen to the conference yourself by heading over to the Electonic Arts investor site.

    For now, our live blog of the event follows the jump.

    UPDATE: The direct quote/transcription of Eric Brown's comments at the Goldman Sachs Communacopia Conference is now available. We apologize for the confusion we may have caused on Twitter and have made the correction available after the jump for our readers.

    UPDATE 2: Stephen Reid posted on the official forums reminding fans to not read too much into investor calls. He reiterated that nothing has changed since other recent communications about release date and that BioWare is still targeting a Holiday 2011 time frame. The DevTracker post can be found after the jump.

  • Electronic Arts Press Conference Live Blog

    Our Gamescom 2011 coverage kicks off today at 7AM PT / 10AM ET with our live blog of the Electronic Arts Press Conference. Dr. Ray Muzyka from BioWare will present a live multiplayer demonstration of Star Wars: The Old Republic during the press conference. There is a live stream available of the press conference for fans around the world. The live blog of the event is contained after the jump.

    Update: Eternity Vault demonstration video now available after the jump. Dissection of the demonstration is in the media gallery below. More coming soon from the dissection throughout the day.

    Gallery: Eternity Vault Demonstration Dissection

    Eternity Vault Demonstration Dissection Image 5
    Eternity Vault Demonstration Dissection Image 4
    Eternity Vault Demonstration Dissection Image 3
    Eternity Vault Demonstration Dissection Image 2

  • Electronic Arts Q1 2012 Earnings Conference Call Live Blog

    Just because San Diego Comic-Con is over, that does not mean there is not plenty happening elsewhere. At 2pm PT/5pm ET, Electronic Arts will have their Q1 2012 Earnings Conference Call. In order to bring you the most pertinent information from the call, we will live blog it and transcribe it. The live blog will start at 2pm PT sharp so be sure to follow the jump and get your seat early for the call.

    Update: In an interview on Reuters, Eric Brown mentions Electronic Arts took over 200,000 pre-orders in the first couple days of Star Wars: The Old Republic being available.

    "We're well over 200,000 pre-orders in the first five or six days. From an EA perspective, that is significantly greater than any other EA title we've ever had in the first week," said the company's finance chief, Eric Brown, in an interview.

  • Darth Hater E3 2011 Coverage



    It is time once again for the Hater team to infiltrate the Electronic Entertainment Expo in Los Angeles, California for all things Star Wars: The Old Republic beginning Monday, June 6 through Thursday, June 9. As we do with all events, the entire team will provide continuous coverage from the show floor and around the web within this post, so bookmark and keep checking this throughout the week.

    Current Schedule


    Monday
    • EA Press Conference 12:30 PM PT / 3:30 PM ET (Live on Spike TV and EA.com)
    • EA.com and SWTOR.com will have new content following the Press Conference.


    Tuesday
    • Booth #1601 Hours: 12:00PM - 6:00PM PT



    Wednesday
    • Booth #1601 Hours: 10:00AM - 6:00PM PT



    Thursday
    • Booth #1601 Hours: 10:00AM - 6:00PM PT


    DH E3 2011 Content




    As with every E3, floor plans are available via the official E3 website should you attend. Make sure to watch our Twitter feed for minute by minute updates as we add new content to the site.

    Gallery: E3 Photo Gallery

    E3 Photo 23
    E3 Photo 24
    E3 Photo 25
    E3 Photo 26

  • Spike TV EA Press Conference Broadcast

    Spike TV and Electronic Arts have collaborated to bring you the EA press conference live as it happens at E3. In a press release that went out earlier today -

    Spike TV, the #1 network for video game programming, today announced that it is working with leading game publisher Electronic Arts Inc., (NASDAQ: ERTS) for an exclusive live, commercial-free telecast of the companys 2011 showcase event at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3), the gaming industrys leading trade show.

    Broadcasting from the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles, Gamechangers: EA 2011 Preview, premieres live nationwide Monday, June 6 at 3:30 PM ET/12:30 PM PT.

    Be sure to catch it live when it happens. As always, Darth Hater will be covering it via a Live Blog and will bring you the information regardless of whether you are able to watch it or not. For coverage on SWTOR at E3, keep your browsers locked on target here.

  • Electronic Arts 4Q Earnings Live Blog

    Electronic Arts will hold their 4Q'11 earnings call at 2p PT / 5p ET, and Darth Hater will live blog any comments related to Star Wars: The Old Republic. The press release and other documents are in line with prior comments.

    Page 17 of the latter document contains a footnote that reads:

    1 These forward-looking statements are valid as of May 4, 2011 only. The Packaged Goods title release schedule excludes Star Wars: The Old Republic, which is expected to launch in either Q2 FY12 or Q3 FY12.

    Q2 FY12 is July through September 2011, and Q3 FY12 is October through December 2011.

    UPDATE: Stephen Reid sent a reminder via Twitter about the release date window.

    Stephen Reid
    Star Wars: The Old Republic is expected to launch in the second half of 2011.


    Hit the jump for the Live Blog of the call as well as a transcription of the points discussed.

  • Release Date Window Moved After July 1st?

    Today Eric Brown, CFO of Electronic Arts, spoke at the Lazard Capital Markets Technology & Media Conference. The topic of Star Wars: The Old Republic was once again brought up and one of the many interesting things said by Brown was, "So we said it's going to launch sometime in calendar, but not within Fiscal '11. So that basically pens down between you know, April 1st and December 31st of this calendar year. It is also reasonable to infer that it's not in our Q1 guidance. We gave Q1 Fiscal 11, Fiscal 12 non-GAAP revenue guidance, minus 39 minus 44 cents and I think it's not unreasonable to infer that it's not included in that 90 day period."

    This indicates that the game most likely won't release before the 1st of July.

    Brown also talks about moving from a closed beta, to a semi-closed beta and then eventually to an open beta and then says that EA will talk more about Star Wars at E3, which takes place June 7-9th. Transcription follows after the jump. An audio version of the talk is contained on their website.

  • EA at Morgan Stanley Technology Conference

    Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello is currently speaking in San Francisco at Morgan Stanley's Technology, Media & Telecom conference. Once again, we're listening in to see if he'll answer or talk about Star Wars: The Old Republic. Riccitiello already reaffirmed double digit growth for the upcoming financial year, and reassured investors worried about the NFL lockup affecting Madden sales.

    The full quote to the SWTOR question is transcribed after the jump, but Riccitiello once again stated they are going toe to toe with Blizzard's World of Warcraft and "great money" can be made at the 2 million subscriber level.

  • EA Q3 2011 Earnings Conference Call Liveblog

    The EA Q3 2011 Earnings Conference Call is today! As always you can expect Darth Hater to cover the event and bring it to you live with notes on topics covered during the call. Our Liveblog of the Conference Call will start at 2PM PST / 5PM EST and last the entirety of the call. We would like to remind our readers that EA/BioWare/Lucasarts will not announce a release date on this call as EA CEO John Riccitiello stated last year, "Any announcement about TOR's release date would be a very public announcement and would not come during a shareholder call." However, if past Conference Calls are any judge, we should hear news SWTOR's slated Spring Release Window and other tidbits related to the game.

    Make sure to keep your browsers locked on target here at Darth Hater. Conference Call Wrap-up continues after the jump.

    UPDATE: SWTOR will ship Calendar 2011. Fiscal 12 guidance when Q4 results are announced. Fiscal 12 release for SWTOR. (For reference: FY11 ends in March)

  • Updated Global Publishing Agreement For SWTOR

    Electronic Arts and LucasArts issued a press release yesterday which announced the consolidation of some global marketing duties for Star Wars: The Old Republic into Electronic Arts. EA largely handled publishing duties for European markets since the game's initial announcement. These sales and marketing responsibilities could encompass everything from retail sales marketing to call center management and possibly global media buys for increased cost efficiency, but the release didn't explain such details nor disclose the financial terms of the agreement. The press release re-affirmed Lucasfilm as the owner of the Star Wars IP, and this means they have pretty much the final say on anything that is in the game or represents the IP in any EA marketing efforts planned for SWTOR, as well as any third party licensing agreements.

    News tip submitted by Klipto

  • SWTOR is EA's Biggest Development Project Ever

    Eurogamer reports on a quote from Electronic Arts' Chief Financial Officer Eric Brown, who spoke at a Wedbush Morgan conference in New York on March 10th. Eric Brown stated that Star Wars: The Old Republic is "[the] largest ever development project, period, in the history of the company."

    When you take a look at previous projects created by Electronic Arts, this speaks volumes. EA has several big name franchises, such as "The Sims," and "Command and Conquer". The news that The Old Republic exceeds these titles in terms of the scope of development certainly reinforces the idea that the game is being given a high priority within Electronic Arts.

    Brown mentioned production costs of similar games, like World of Warcraft, which Blizzard spent "$100 million, perhaps more" to bring to market in 2004. This shows the general scope of the game as well as the quality that Bioware, and indeed EA as a whole, are aiming for. One reason they are likely investing so much is because they know they only have one launch and an MMO can be a make or break deal.

  • Electronic Arts 3Q FY10 Earnings Call

    Last night, Electronic Arts held its Q3 2010 earnings conference call, where they reaffirmed to their shareholders and analysts that they did not include potential revenue from Star Wars: The Old Republic in their FY11 guidance.

    In response, Sean Dahlberg quickly informed the official community:

    Nothing has changed since we last posted about this last month. While we have not announced a specific date, we can confirm that we are targeting a spring 2011 release for Star Wars: The Old Republic.


    We originally reported on the story back in January.

  • E3 Expo: LucasArts & Electronic Arts Confirmed

    Official forum poster armenak reported that while taking a casual glance at this year's E3 Expo Exhibitor List, he noticed both LucasArts and BioWare's parent company Electronic Arts booked their meeting rooms.

    Although there isn't a booth confirmation yet listed, both meeting rooms are in close proximity to one another: LucasArts will be in Meeting Room 404AB, while Electronic Arts booked Room 406AB, and no one is listed for Room 405 yet.

    E3 Expo is June 15-17 at the LA Convention Center.

  • Hint of Star Wars: The Old Republic Release Date?

    Earlier today, Electronics Arts updated their outlook for fiscal year 2010 with a press release and a conference call. The majority of the call dealt specifically with the slew of titles releasing this spring, however, a bit of Star Wars: The Old Republic news found it's way into the Q&A section at the end. After being asked about their lower expectations for 2010, EA CEO John Riccitiello said the following:

    A couple other thoughts on fiscal '11 that I think might be helpful. We are very cognizant of a need to drive growth margins and operating margins, and some of our distribution businesses have provided us luxury profitability that we like. So for now at least we are planning our distribution businesses to be sharply down in fiscal '11.

    On the digital side, while we've got a great number of initiatives, one key driver will be the launch of our major MMO. As it stands today, the game is making great progress towards a spring 2011 launch. But given the volatility of this particular sector, and the fact that we haven't yet provided a specific launch date, at least for now, we're excluding the revenue from our FY'11 plan for guidance.


    With no other known "major MMO" in development, this can be interpreted to mean that they are working towards a Spring 2011 launch date for Star Wars: The Old Republic. However, a fiscal conference call is an unlikely venue for an announcement of this gravity, and this comment is bracketed by talk of fiscal year 2011, which is predominately calendar 2010.

    We contacted LucasArts and BioWare for an official comment, and we will keep you updated with any developments.

    Update (Jan 12 - 11:09 AM EST): Sean posted an update just minutes ago regarding the news -

    While we have not announced a specific date, we can confirm that we are targeting a spring 2011 release for Star Wars: The Old Republic. We've got a lot of exciting updates and reveals planned throughout 2010, including the first-ever hands-on testing for the game. It's not too late to sign up to be a game tester, so go to www.swtor.com/tester and sign up today. We can't wait to share more about the game with you as we progress through the year, so make sure you stay tuned to the official website for details.

  • BioWare Announces All-Star Cast for Mass Effect 2

    In a recent press release, EA revealed a list of celebrity voices that will be heard in the upcoming BioWare RPG, Mass Effect 2. The list, after the jump, is comprised of many actors and actresses who have been in video games before, but there are a few standouts as well. Although BioWare remains quiet about who will be voicing characters in Star Wars: The Old Republic, this announcement does express how high profile video game voice acting has become during this console generation.

  • EA Earnings Confrence Call Mentions TOR

    For those of you who may not listen to the podcast, but should, EA had their Q2 2010 earnings conference call on November 9th. The vast majority of the conference call was directed at the recent acquisition of the social gaming developer Playfish, but it did contain a few gems relating to Star Wars: The Old Republic. Lets take a closer look at the relevant pieces of the call.
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