Star Wars: The Old Republic

Not to be confused with Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
This article is about the Star Wars MMORPG. For the fictional polity, see Old Republic (Star Wars). For the comic book, see Star Wars: The Old Republic (comics).

Star Wars: The Old Republic
Developer(s)BioWare (2011–2023) Broadsword Online Games (2023–present)
Publisher(s)Electronic Arts
Director(s)James Ohlen
Producer(s)Dallas Dickinson
Designer(s)Damien Schubert
Georg Zoeller
Programmer(s)Thomas Boyd
Ken Shuck
Artist(s)Jeff Dobson
Writer(s)Drew Karpyshyn[1]
Daniel Erickson
Composer(s)Mark Griskey
Gordy Haab
SeriesStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
EngineHeroEngine[2]
Platform(s)Microsoft Windows
Release
  • NA: December 20, 2011
  • EU: December 20, 2011
  • AU: March 1, 2012
Genre(s)Massively multiplayer online role-playing game
Mode(s)Multiplayer

Star Wars: The Old Republic is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game (MMORPG) based in the Star Wars universe.[3][4] Developed by BioWare Austin and a supplemental team at BioWare Edmonton, the game was announced on October 21, 2008.[5] The video game was released for the Microsoft Windows platform on December 20, 2011 in North America and part of Europe.[6][7][8][9] It was released in Oceania and Asia on March 1, 2012.[10]

This story takes place in the Star Wars universe shortly after the establishment of a tenuous peace between the re-emergent Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. The game features eight different classes. Each of the eight classes has a three act storyline that progresses as the character levels up. Players join either the Republic or the Sith, but players may possess a morality at any point along the light/dark spectrum. Different classes favor different styles of gameplay, and the game features extensive customization options, fully voiced dialogue, companion characters, and dialogue options similar to BioWare's other role-playing games.

Although not officially disclosed, based on estimates, it is one of the most developmentally expensive games made. The game had one million subscribers within three days of its launch, making it the world's "fastest-growing MMO ever"; however, in the following months the game lost a fair share of its subscriptions, but has remained profitable.[11][12][13] The game has since adopted the hybrid free-to-play business model with remaining subscription option.[14] The game was met with positive reception upon release and has received several updates and expansion packs. Several books and comics based on the game have been released. It is estimated that the game made $139 million in additional revenues on top of the subscription income in 2013. In an earnings call to investors in October 2019, Electronic Arts announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic was closing in on a billion dollars in lifetime revenue, making it a financial success based on the reported $200 million development budget.[15]

  1. ^ "Decorated writer Drew Karpyshyn returns to BioWare". eurogamer.net. September 21, 2015. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
  2. ^ Thang, Jimmy (December 10, 2008). "BioWare Using Simutronics' HeroEngine for Star Wars: The Old Republic". IGN. Archived from the original on December 14, 2008. Retrieved December 10, 2008.
  3. ^ "LucasArts and Bioware Reveal Star Wars: The Old Republic" (Press release). LucasArts and BioWare. October 21, 2008. Archived from the original on October 23, 2008. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
  4. ^ "BioWare, Lucasarts Unveil Star Wars: The Old Republic". Game Informer. October 21, 2008. Archived from the original on June 9, 2009. Retrieved November 13, 2011.
  5. ^ Nguyen, Thierry (October 21, 2008). "Star Wars KOTOR MMO Announcement Liveblog". 1UP.com. Retrieved October 21, 2008.
  6. ^ "Launch Date for Star Wars: The Old Republic Announced". Electronic Arts. September 24, 2011. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved October 16, 2011.
  7. ^ Infield, Ben (September 26, 2011). "Star Wars: The Old Republic announced at Eurogamer Expo". Daily Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
  8. ^ "Global Launch for The Old Republic". BioWare. October 14, 2011. Archived from the original on March 26, 2012. Retrieved October 14, 2011.
  9. ^ "Star Wars The Old Republic Approaches Hyperspace Launch". BioWare. December 7, 2011. Archived from the original on March 28, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2011.
  10. ^ "Star Wars: The Old Republic Lands in Australia and New Zealand". Electronic Arts Inc. February 13, 2012. Archived from the original on February 22, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
  11. ^ "Star Wars: The Old Republic Jumps to Light Speed (NASDAQ:EA)". Investor.ea.com. December 23, 2011. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved April 11, 2012.
  12. ^ Rundle, Michael (December 27, 2011). "Star Wars: The Old Republic Is 'Fastest-Growing MMO Ever' With 1m Users". Huffington Post. Archived from the original on February 13, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2012.
  13. ^ Ray, Alexa (July 31, 2012). "'Star Wars: The Old Republic' subscribers fall to under one million". Polygon. Archived from the original on March 22, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2012.
  14. ^ "EA Expands Award-Winning MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic with Free-to-Play Option This Fall". Yahoo! Finance. July 31, 2012. Archived from the original on August 8, 2012.
  15. ^ Makuch, Eddie. "Huge MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic Has Made Close to $1 Billion In Revenue". GameSpot. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved January 6, 2020.