Darth Hater

Stephen Reid confirmed via Twitter that the Star Wars: The Old Republic testers from the Thanksgiving Beta Weekend will be able to be patch their game client for Early Game Access and Release. As such, players should keep their game installation in tact on their computers. For players who tested the game prior to November 25th, however, Mr. Reid recommends a clean installation of the game client.

Read on for the direct quotes from Stephen Reid.

Ahead of today's Star Wars: The Old Republic Friday Update, the official pre-order page received an update and now shows a little tidbit about the Early Game Access period.

CUSTOMERS WHO PRE-ORDER STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC WILL BE ABLE TO PLAY THE GAME BEFORE THE OFFICIAL LAUNCH. EARLY GAME ACCESS IS THE PERIOD OF TIME BEFORE THE OFFICIAL GAME LAUNCH WHEN PRE-ORDER CUSTOMERS MAY ACCESS THE GAME. EARLY GAME ACCESS MAY BE UP TO 5 DAYS. THE LENGTH OF YOUR EARLY GAME ACCESS DEPENDS ON THE DATE AND ORDER IN WHICH YOU REDEEMED YOUR PRE-ORDER CODE AT THE CODE REDEMPTION CENTER. SEE PRE-ORDER FAQ FOR MORE DETAILS.

On a side note, the rest of the page also received an update with a new comparison chart of all of the pre-order options for fans. The changes should give players a better understanding of the options that are available to them leading up until release.

Hat tip to Zosha on the tip.

UPDATE: Early Game Access details are now available.

Many of you have been wondering how long Early Game Access will last, and we are now happy to announce that depending on when you redeem your Pre-Order Code, you will gain Early Game Access up to five days before the official game launch date.

Early Game Access is staggered over five days to ensure a quality experience for players at launch. Staggering access aids server stability and a gradual increase in player population through the game. Early Game Access will be granted according to when your Pre-Order Code is redeemed at the Code Redemption Center. If you have not yet pre-ordered Star Wars: The Old Republic, theres still time! Visit our Pre-Order page for more information and watch the Collectors Edition Unboxing video for a peek inside this highly coveted edition of the game.

Release dates are tricky things. Release your game at the wrong time and it wont be successful no matter how fun the game is; release your game at the right time and a mediocre game can become a cult favorite. MMOs, however, are entirely different beasts. Because of their audience and the way they make their money (through subscriptions or microtransactions rather than initial box sales), MMOs can release independent of the normal release schedule and still be successful. Nearly three years after its announcement, Star Wars: The Old Republic finally has a release date. On December 20 in North America and Europe, we will be able to log in and experience the Old Republic era. On the official forums in the announcement thread titled Launch Date for STAR WARS: The Old Republic, people share their views on the release date, and whether they think it is the right choice or not.

This week's Star Wars: The Old Republic Friday update is quite a huge one and can best be described as a four parter. The first two have us drooling over a new trailer named "Signs of War" and Operations Game Systems page.

In the Signs of War trailer, the Trooper that most prominently received a facelift from Malgus in the Hope trailer is seen for the first time in-game. The trailer, narrated by Satele Shan, features several locals from the game that players can expect to visit when they get their hands on the game. The new Operations Game Systems page contains information on all of the current Operations along with images and video. On a side note but almost just as important, originally first revealed during the main panel at New York Comic Con, the global launch date is now December 20. BioWare also reminds fans to attend Paris Games Week, which they will be in attendance of in full force.

Our dissection is now available in the media gallery below. As with all of our dissections, things mentioned in prior dissections will not be mentioned unless otherwise needed for context. Feel free to mention stuff that you see in the comments section of this post and we will credit you with the find.

Hit the jump for the Signs of War embed trailer and official DevTracker posts.

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.