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SWTOR is on sale, happy Star Wars Day
EA has put Star Wars: The Old Republic on sale for Star Wars Day, which is today, May the fourth (as in, "be with you" -- geddit?). Bioware's massively multiplayer Jedi simulator has been discounted from from $59.99 to $34.44 for the standard edition, or $44.44 for the digital deluxe edition, which includes some in-game digital goodies.The sale lasts until Sunday, May 6. If you need it longer than that, you should have had more midichlorians, people.
EA CEO won't share Old Republic release date because of "principal competitor"
E3 usually isn't a big news get for us here at WoW Insider, as Blizzard does its own thing with its own announcements and showing up to conventions. However, one piece of news really stuck out as interesting in relation to Blizzard. EA's CEO John Riccitiello made some interesting statements regarding Star Wars: The Old Republic's release date. The Old Republic is EA's MMO set during the fan-favorite Old Republic era of the Star Wars franchise. Riccitiello said: Announcing a release date "would be irresponsible for two really good reasons", Riccitiello said. "One, the competitive marketplace. Putting a window out there creates a window of opportunity for our principal competitor to put out an expansion pack or an ad campaign et cetera around our launch window. Bad move at this point in time." Now, while Riccitiello does not name Blizzard specifically, there are only a few potential "principal competitors" in the MMO market. Blizzard is definitely the biggest name at the table. What Riccitiello is saying is that announcing a release date for their MMO would give Blizzard the opportunity to move in on EA's hype, move its own release dates around, or prepare a patch or game release for the same time frame that The Old Republic would launch.
Hyperspace Beacon: E3 -- extravagant extraterrestrial exhibition
The Hyperspace Beacon is a weekly guide and discussion by Larry Everett about the yet-to-be-released game Star Wars: The Old Republic. We have been teased, taunted, and tantalized this week before the Electronic Entertainment Expo, so much so SWTOR fans don't know topsy from turvy. In this Hyperspace Beacon, released just hours before Electronic Arts' press conference at the Expo, I will hopefully give you the lowdown on the latest news and perhaps help you appreciate the magnitude of the startling reveals. On the surface they may seem like hyped-up teases with very little to latch on to, but I believe they have exposed quite a bit. As Massively reporters packed their bags to head to Los Angeles, Bioware did not stop tossing tidbits at its diligent disciples. First, we were treated with a hands-on walkthrough from Gamespot detailing the beginning quest for most of the starting classes. Twi'leks and chiss were cited as playable species in this revealing report. Also, Gametrailers.com probed the path behind producing an exciting E3 trailer. Besides touring Blur studios, the interview taunted us with a brief look into this year's animated short story. Continue on after the break to find more insight into the extravagant extraterrestrial exhibition that is this year's E3.
Hyperspace Beacon: Return of the Jedi
"For over a thousand generations the Jedi Knights were the guardians of peace and justice in the Old Republic, before the dark times, before the Empire," Obi-wan Kenobi explained to a young Luke Skywalker and the audience for the first time in Star Wars: A New Hope. This started the never-ending quest of finding out what exactly it means to master the seemingly limitless power of the Force. On that life-transforming statement, we begin in this week's Hyperspace Beacon. The Jedi Knight places Star Wars beyond every other science fiction story in world. The mix of science and mysticism takes us to a place that challenges not only our mind but our spiritual beliefs as well. The Jedi Order asks us to, "unlearn what you have learned," and to, "do or do not. There is no try." Then, as if to defy greater logic, they brandish a sword made completely of light. Let us take a few moments to rediscover these lightsaber-wielding wizards, find out a little of how they came to be, examine what differences arose over the thousands of years they existed, and investigate what you can expect from the Jedi in Star Wars: The Old Republic.
The Voss: SWTOR's exception to the rule?
Furry walking carpets are actually tree loving warriors. Cocky gunslingers are from a planet staunch in its independence. The desert planet of Tatooine used to be a thriving jungle world. These are all tidbits of information the movie goer or gamer would never know by watching their favorite film or playing an MMO. However, Daniel Erickson, the Principal Lead Writer for Star Wars: The Old Republic, and his crew consider these types of thing for every planet, species, and character. Very few people, even game designers who work for LucasArts, get to add to the Star Wars canon. Bioware is in this exciting position, but like any good writing team they have to consider the existing universe. "Now to be clear, the first thing we do when we decide to add a "new" world to the vast Star Wars mythology is to do our research and see if there is a world that already exists and will fit our needs. Is it the right type of climate? The right place in the galaxy? Does it have next to nothing written about it? Awesome, it's ours," says Erickson. Enter the Voss. This species of Mystics lives outside the Republic or the Empire. The Jedi find them dangerous, and the Sith cannot deceive them. The Voss's story explores the fringes of politics and religion: The exception to the rule. Read more about how Daniel Erickson combs the depths of storytelling in this week's SWTOR Developer's Blog: Creating Worlds
Star Wars: The Old Republic, now with microtransactions
Hoping to turn midi-chlorians into monetary maneuvers, Electronic Arts CEO John Riccitiello revealed in today's investor call that BioWare's upcoming MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic will be "a mid-session game, microtransaction-based. You'll be hearing more about those in the February [conference] call." According to ShackNews, EA has previously deemed FIFA Online and NBA Street "mid-session" games. We're not convinced that it means SW:TOR will be offered sans subscription, so we'll wait until February rolls around to see how the publisher plans to Force Pull your money.Update: Statement from EA via ShackNews: "No statements have been made about the Star Wars business model." The rep also claimed Mr. Riccitiello's comments were misunderstood.[Via Massively]
How will factions and PvP work in Star Wars: The Old Republic?
Since BioWare and LucasArts' Star Wars: The Old Republic was announced, we've learned that there will be two factions in the game -- the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. We've also learned that players will be able to embrace either the Dark or Light Side of the Force. But there's something surprising in all this: there's no direct correlation between the two distinctions. You could, for example, play as a Jedi working within the Empire -- "a good guy in a bad place," as BioWare put it.We're big fans of the idea -- more moral complexity is welcome (especially in the Star Wars setting, which tends to quite literally be black and white), but it raises some interesting gameplay questions, particularly with regards to PvP -- questions we're eager to raise!%Gallery-35033%
