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SWTOR extends free game time promotion beyond level 50 characters
If the news of yesterday's Star Wars: The Old Republic promotion to give level 50 players a month of free game time rubbed some members -- the non-50s, specifically -- the wrong way, then BioWare's on the scene to make amends. The studio announced that it's expanding its Legacy promotion to include a wider range of players. In addition to applying to any player who's reached level 50, the 30 days of free game time will now be applied to the account of anyone who has reached Legacy Level 6 in the game. This condition requires that a player has unlocked his or her Legacy at the end of Chapter 1 and then achieved six levels across any number of toons (Legacy XP is shared across an account). Another change to this promotion is that players have over a week to hit either one of these goals. Players now have until 1:00 p.m. EDT on April 22nd to achieve either level 50 on a character or Legacy Level 6 on an account to receive the free month of play. Following news of yesterday's Legacy promotion, the SWTOR forums exploded with discussion over the topic, with the main discussion thread reaching over 250 pages on the subject.
The Soapbox: The inevitable Mass Effect MMO
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. I don't know about you, but I've yet to play Mass Effect 3. This is not by choice, mind you, and now that I've returned from the wilds of last week's GDC, it's time to settle in for another 30-hour tour with Shepard and company. What does this have to do with MMOs? Well, nothing really, except that BioWare hasn't exactly closed the door on a Mass Effect title. On the contrary, the company's dynamic doctor duo have hinted at the fact that this, ahem, theoretical game would need to be somewhat different from the firm's maiden MMO voyage. At this point I think an ME MMO is inevitable, so join me after the cut to discuss whether BioWare can really break the mold with its second effort as well as what that effort could look like.
BioWare doctors discuss Mass Effect MMO
The fast-approaching Mass Effect 3 hype bomb doesn't have much to do with MMOs, except maybe it does. Gamespot cornered BioWare doctors Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka and asked the duo point-blank about a Mass Effect MMO, and the answer might surprise you. "It's daunting, but the neat thing is it would lend itself to a different type of gameplay. It's fun to think about," Zeschuk told the website. Does that mean that the so-called fourth pillar of MMO story won't factor as heavily into the theoretical title as it does in Star Wars: The Old Republic? It's anyone guess at this point, but Muzyka offers a further fanboy nugget that hints at the possibility of a new direction for BioWare MMOs. "When you deliver a game, and you deliver it for a player, you have to capture what they think is the possibility space," he explains. "You need to let them do everything they think they should do, and you can't block them from doing anything they think they should be able to do. You have to nail all the features and content that should be in that possibility space."
BioWare: Average SWTOR play session tops four hours
Star Wars: The Old Republic players are consuming game content in four- to six-hour sessions on average, according to Kotaku and BioWare bigwig Greg Zeschuk. "When they play, their sessions are absurd," he said recently. Zeschuk goes on to say both that the retention is a sign of the title's addictive "just-one-more" gameplay and that the firm is pulling an "intense amount of analytics and telemetry" from the title. Finally, he hints at the theory that most SWTOR players are happy due to a general drop in forum tomfoolery. "You can tell when things are going really well in the game," Zeschuk explains. "The amount of forum chatter drops. People don't go to forums. They just play." Take that as you will, and let us know how long your average SWTOR session lasts.
The Force is with SWTOR: EA stock bounces back, budget revealed
It seems like everyone is obsessed with the exact amount of money EA spent creating its most expensive title ever, but the Los Angeles Times may have a final number to end the discussion: Apparently, Star Wars: The Old Republic cost $200 million. Other interesting details from the Times' investigation into what it calls a "galactic gamble" include the fact that it was made by 800 people on four continents with an additional 1,000 voice actors (doing three languages) handling 4,000 characters. The project was such a massive undertaking that BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk likened it to "teaching elephants to do ballet." One of the interesting details of this behind-the-scenes expose is that BioWare said that certain movies and TV miniseries influenced class storylines, such as Big Trouble in Little China for the Smuggler and Band of Brothers for the Trooper. There's also some good news following yesterday's word of EA's stock hit. MarketWatch reports that several brokers have defended the title, resulting in a 2% bounce back in EA's stock. As part of that, a Pacific Crest analyst raised his predictions of quarter sales for SWTOR from 1.5 to 2.2 million, with 800,000 subscribers. Another analyst claims that over two million units of SWTOR have been sold since launch with an expectation that 75% to 90% of players will stay on as paid subscribers following the first free month.
Zeschuk: Coordinating on SWTOR 'like teaching elephants to do ballet'
The LA Times has put together a rather lengthy retrospective on the development of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Among the bullet points that we've seen before -- SWTOR has a lot of voice acting, it's a huge gamble for EA, etc. -- are a few noteworthy bits.Chief among these may be how difficult it was to coordinate the many, many elements of SWTOR that were outsourced worldwide, everywhere from China to Russia to California and, of course, BioWare's cozy Canadian homestead. According to BioWare founder Greg Zeschuk, "coordinating it all is like teaching elephants to do ballet."Another interesting note: the stories for each of the eight classes were inspired by different films. The smuggler, whose story involves his ship being stolen, follows in the footsteps of the John Carpenter classic, Big Trouble in Little China. You know what old Jack Burton says about lightsabers, right?
Rakghouls and raging Hutts with SWTOR's Gabe Amatangelo
A month after Star Wars: The Old Republic began its official journey in the public eye, the developers of this game-changing MMO are ready to extend the story, which they call the fourth pillar of the MMO genre. In patch 1.1, which also brings the usual round of bug fixes, players will be introduced to a brand-new level 50 flashpoint as well as a completed version of the Karagga's Palace 8-to-16-man operation. In the official press release for 1.1, BioWare founder Greg Zeschuk notes, "A month ago when we launched the Early Game Access program for Star Wars: The Old Republic, we promised our fans that this would just be the beginning of our journey together." That's all well and good, but we want details. So we rang up BioWare's Gabe Amatangelo to discuss the new flashpoint, Karagga's palace, Ilum, and the future of SWTOR PvP. Be aware that there will be some minor spoilers, but we'll warn you in advance!
Dr. Greg Zeschuk talks about the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic
It's been just about a month since Star Wars: The Old Republic began its early access period, throwing open the doors for players all around the world. But the release wasn't just an interesting point for the many players anticipating the game -- after all, it had been BioWare's big project for many years. Fan site TORwars recently had a chat with Dr. Greg Zeschuk about his thoughts on the game at launch and a look back at what could have gone differently. As Zeschuk says, there were definitely some aspects of the development that he would do differently if he could go back in time, including expanding the testing schedule and roster. He also shares his stories of getting his character going once the game went live, something that wound up being unexpectedly problematic. It's not filled with world-shattering revelations about the future of the game, but for players who are starting to look back over their first month with the game, it's certainly a nice look at the other side of the fence.
BioWare Ireland is a 'kind of sister studio' to BioWare Austin, offering various levels of support
BioWare's Austin studio had some assistance in developing Star Wars: The Old Republic, which co-founders Greg Zeschuk and Ray Muzyka have described in the past as a collaboration between BioWare Austin, Edmonton, and Mythic. As it turns out, BioWare Ireland is yet another crucial component of The Old Republic's development harem, assisting the game with "multiple dimensions of support," from quality assurance to localization to networking. And that may not be all that the Ireland studio will be up to in the coming years. "That's where it is right now," Zeschuk told me, before he noted that "over time, we'll see." For now, the Galway-based office is primarily focused on making sure SW:TOR servers aren't crashing and players aren't furious. "It's really a reflection of how important we value the service," Muzyka added. "The commitment as a premium service subscription game is to support it with high quality service every step of the way." BioWare apparently thought that commitment serious enough to bring on approximately 400 new employees to man its Ireland location. And with initial subscriber numbers still on the rise, it looks like that commitment will pay off, at least in the short term. In the long run, however ... well, let's just say it won't be shocking to see the Ireland studio transform into something more than strictly support.
BioWare: Mac version of Star Wars: The Old Republic is something it's 'looking at next'
BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk are quite dedicated to their fans. At least that's a recurring theme for them when talking about their company's moves in new directions, to which both repeatedly referred during a recent interview in midtown Manhattan. "We know there's a big Mac audience of BioWare fans ... we know that's an important and large audience. And we want to serve that audience," Muzyka told me when asked about a potential Mac version of the his company's latest major release, Star Wars: The Old Republic. "I'd say 'not yet,'" Zeschuk assured me when I told him that, as a BioWare fan, I'm unable to play The Old Republic on my less than two-year-old MacBook. Though Muzyka was quick to remind me that I can technically play the game on a Windows partition, he also admitted that it wasn't an ideal situation. "We've done a lot of Mac ports before of our games. We haven't announced any details yet for The Old Republic, but we know that's an important and large audience." Neither would offer a strict timetable on the Mac version, but Zeschuk did note, "That's definitely one of the things we're looking at next. We want to get this launch under our belt and everything stabilized and happy, and then we'll look at other platforms, and that's obviously one of the first ones."
BioWare's docs: Free-to-play can't invest and create at our level
If BioWare's not in a war against the free-to-play business model, it certainly is skirmishing with the notion that F2P is the only way to go. In speaking with our sister site Joystiq, BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk defended the traditional subscription model by saying that it not only works but allows dev teams to achieve games on a larger scale. Zeschuk mentioned that it was simply a case of the right business model for the right game: "I'm not saying it's better or worse. It just doesn't supplant the other things. 'Cause we can do some things no one else can. The free-to-play people can't invest to the level we can invest, and can't create something of the size and scale of something we can create." Even with its love of the subscription model for Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare is open to free-to-play where it sees fit. Muzyka dropped a tantalizing hint as to the company's F2P aspirations: "We have some other stuff we haven't announced yet coming from our play-for-free team that I'm really excited about. It's gonna bring back some IP that people have a lot of fond memories around."
BioWare docs defend subscription model, tease free-to-play iteration of classic IP
Understandably, BioWare heads Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk seem tired of beating the drum for Star Wars: The Old Republic's subscription-based business model. I didn't actually bother asking them about their thoughts on subscription vs free-to-play gaming during an interview early last week, but Zeschuk launched into a spirited defense nonetheless, perhaps conditioned by being asked over and over in the run up to SW: TOR's launch last Monday. "You look at the online space in general and it's fragmenting into all these different areas, but the core still works. The subscription model still works," Zeschuk said. "We know a lot of people say, 'Oh, everything's just going free-to-play.' But that's just one slice. There's one slice that's free-to-play, there's one slice that's social, there's traditional subscription still going." He was also quick to point out that, "it's obviously been the free-to-play guys trumpeting this," though his own company certainly isn't above working in the free-to-play space, as evidenced by Warhammer: Wrath of Heroes. "I'm not saying it's better or worse. It just doesn't supplant the other things. 'Cause we can do some things no one else can," Zeschuk added. In his eyes, a free-to-play dev isn't able to throw the same amount of resources and time at an MMO project, and that marks a big differentiation between the two business models. "The free-to-play people can't invest to the level we can invest, and can't create something of the size and scale of something we can create," he said. The idea that free-to-play will take over all other MMO business models, he said is, "from a business perspective, ridiculous."
The Emperor is stuck in a queue? BioWare shall redouble its efforts!
Is it a wonderful problem to have when your MMO is so popular that everyone trying to crush through the door at the same time is causing painful queues? Or is it a problematic wonder? Either way, the BioWare live team has been struggling to keep up with demand for Star Wars: The Old Republic access -- but the team may be getting closer to winning the war on wait time. BioWare's Greg Zeschuk stopped by the forums to assure players that the company is "redoubling its efforts" in tackling the issue. As a result, players should already be seeing quicker access to SWTOR: We've also being doing our best to get every little bit of possible performance on our servers to increase capacity: We've "turned them up to 11" to do our very best to get you in and playing as quickly as possible. As a result - you should now be seeing significant improvement versus waiting times at the end of last week. The team is also working on a way to hold players' places in the wait queue in the event of a disconnect.
BioWare docs explain how to stay true to your roots while expanding massively
With eight (eight!) studios around the globe as of the end of 2011, BioWare label heads Dr. Ray Muzyka and Dr. Greg Zeschuk have kind of a lot going on at any given time. When I spoke with them earlier this week at Times Square's NASDAQ building, though, they were remarkably calm after ringing the financial institution's opening bell (surrounded by and emblazoned in Star Wars accoutrement), and launching the six-years-in-development Star Wars: The Old Republic. Beyond the aforementioned accomplishments, the doctors' division of EA has been rapidly expanding -- over just the last six months, BioWare has added a Sacramento office, a San Francisco office, and an Ireland office, to say nothing of "BioWare Victory," the studio heading up Command & Conquer: Generals 2. That's a whole lot of people (501 - 1000, approximately, according to LinkedIn)! How do two guys that started out with eight people in a studio apartment manage that kind of expansion without diluting the original values they began with? BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka offered an explanation by way of example: "You're seeing how we're doing that in The Old Republic. We're merging story in in a really seamless way. It doesn't feel tacked on or added, it's actually there from the ground floor. It's actually adding to the experience and increasing that emotional engagement, which, you go back to our vision, that's what it's all about. Building that emotional engagement." The concept of "emotional engagement" was one that both Muzyka and his long-time business partner Dr. Greg Zeschuk touched on repeatedly during the interview. Muzyka called it a "pillar" of the label's vision, but also emphasized that story -- BioWare's traditional method for engaging players on an emotional level -- isn't the only way to evoke an emotional response from players.
Star Wars: The Old Republic's hype train barrels onward
December 20th is finally here, and Star Wars: The Old Republic is as live as it's going to get. The title's official launch has sent ripples through the interwebs, and MSNBC, Gamasutra, and Kotaku all have new features highlighting various facets of the new title. Gamasutra has a few words with BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk and creative director James Ohlen regarding the game's post-launch strategy. Zeschuk claims that the team is "really busy working on future SWTOR content as well as continuing to improve the service. This will never end." Never is quite a long time, we think, but we'll see how that goes. Meanwhile, MSNBC sits down with SWTOR's Lead Writer, Daniel Erickson, about BioWare's much-touted story pillar. He claims that the game's 20 writers worked together for a total of over 60 man-years of labor on the game's story and writing. And lastly, Kotaku has another few words with Zeschuk. When asked if SWTOR could potentially make a move to F2P like, say, DC Universe Online, Zeschuk replied, "Free-to-play works best when a game is built that way from the ground up... We're not saying never ever, but we certainly have no plans like that in the foreseeable future." For the full features, click on through the links below.
BioWare co-founder and live producer get SWTOR launch day tattoos
How do you know if a game studio is committed to a title? What if the studio co-founder gets a big ol' tattoo inked on his bicep? Words are cheap, after all; tattoos show you mean business. This is exactly what BioWare's Greg Zeschuk did recently, and he hopped onto Twitter to show off his new Star Wars: The Old Republic "launch beard and tattoo" to the populace. The tattoo is the hybrid Republic-Empire logo, and was done in full color. Not to be outdone, Live Producer Cory Butler also took the plunge and got the tattoo as well. Star Wars: The Old Republic's early access begins today, with the game's official launch slated for December 20th. Don't forget to read up on the game with Massively's SWTOR Launch Guide! Star Wars: The Old Republic is finally here, and the Force is with Massively! We've prepared a Hutt-sized feast of class introductions, gameplay guides, lore roundups, and hands-on previews to help you navigate the launch period and beyond. And don't forget our weekly SWTOR column, the Hyperspace Beacon!
SWTOR lifts NDA and reveals Legacy system, new flashpoint, art book
Do you hear that? That's the sound of a million voices who were silenced suddenly freed to share their experiences with Star Wars: The Old Republic. That's because BioWare has officially lifted the non-disclosure agreement (NDA) allowing testers to talk about the game. BioWare VP Greg Zeschuk posted the announcement just minutes ago on the forums: As of now, the non-disclosure portion of our Game Testing Agreement is officially lifted. While all players must still accept the Game Testing Agreement, from this point on testers may now freely talk about their experiences this past weekend in the game, as well as post screenshots and gameplay videos of their testing experiences. We encourage you to come join us on the official Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ Forums to share your experiences! The Star Wars: The Old Republic community site will have a copy of this message on the forums and it will also appear in the Patcher. Players may not talk about nor reprint posts from our testing forums as they are still fully covered by the confidentiality portions of our Game Testing Agreement. And all players who want to participate in the upcoming Beta Test Weekends still have to accept all terms of the Game Testing Agreement. So, other than that, free feel to talk about and share your experiences in Star Wars: The Old Republic. If all that wasn't exciting enough, the dev team also released articles covering the flashpoint Bringing Down the Hammer, the book, The Art and Making of The Old Republic, and the Legacy system, which allows for a family last name shared across characters.
SWTOR beta participants log one meeeeellion hours of testing
If it seemed like everyone and their dog got in on last weekend's Star Wars: The Old Republic beta event, well, they did. BioWare invited tens of thousands of Star Wars fans to the TOR testing party, and probably a few Star Trek fans and the blue glowy spirits of dearly departed Jedi Knights as well. The mass invites are designed to strain the servers prior to the game's December 15th launch date, and BioWare co-founder Greg Zeschuk says this is just the beginning. "One crazy number is we had over a million hours of testing over the weekend. It was a huge test, and there are even bigger ones coming. The key thing is for us to take those learnings, apply them and make the service really stable. We're happy with the game," Zeschuk told Eurogamer. Zeschuk and his BioWare cohorts aren't exactly raising pinkies to lips like an overconfident supervillain, though. "Everyone's cautiously optimistic. We're all very paranoid," Zeschuk said, before going on to explain how BioWare will carefully control TOR's launch availability to ensure a smooth experience.
BioWare says gamers find it hard to go back to other MMOs after playing SWTOR
As Star Wars: The Old Republic's release date looms larger on the calendar, BioWare co-founders Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk are starting to be seen with increasing frequency on the PR circuit. The latest sighting comes courtesy of The Gaming Liberty, and the dynamic doctor duo offers up some interesting commentary on SWTOR and the logic behind setting up BioWare's new customer service center in Ireland rather than Canada or the U.S. There's a "fair, reasonable tax and regulatory structure the government here [in Ireland] has provided for us which creates an entrepreneurial environment [...] which is a big bonus," Muzyka explains. The interview also touches on lore inspirations for both The Old Republic and the classic single-player Knights of the Old Republic RPG, as well as the team's confidence in its new massively multiplayer product. "One of the most common things we're already hearing is that people seem to find it hard to go back to other MMOs once they play The Old Republic," Muzyka said.
BioWare founders: We make the decisions, not EA
BioWare has a message for critical fans who blame the company's perceived inadequacies on its corporate overlords at Electronic Arts. "I always chuckle because we are EA, we're BioWare -- we're both, and we still have huge autonomy in terms of what we do," co-founder Greg Zeschuk recently told Eurogamer. Zeschuk and partner Ray Muzyka cover a lot of ground during the sit-down, and the docs indicate that they still play BioWare's games despite delegating day-to-day development duties to various project leads. "Most of our games, before we ship them, we finish them several times. The Old Republic, we're probably at that level or higher, in terms of hours," Zeschuk says. Times have changed though, as both men acknowledge that today's BioWare is not the same company that made Neverwinter Nights or MDK2. "Way, way back, years ago, we didn't even consider those [commercial elements], we just made stuff," Zeschuk explains.
