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SWTOR livestream Q&A highlights F2P success, BioWare 'listening to feedback'
BioWare held a post-1.5 livestream Q&A for Star Wars: The Old Republic yesterday, and Darth Hater has posted the pertinent notes as well as a 30-minute video embed. The devs of record were lead designer Damion Schubert, producer Jeff Hickman, and community manager Joveth Gonzalez. The trio fielded a wide variety of questions, many of which centered on the game's controversial F2P conversion. "From a business standpoint, the number of players we're getting into the game is great," Hickman explained. "If you're a brand-new player, it doesn't feel too limited because you don't know what it feels like to not be restricted. But we're definitely listening to feedback and could make changes." Schubert concurred, and he also mentioned that the numbers support BioWare's current position. "Almost every conceivable metric is better. The numbers have blown away our expectations, which means good things for the players and the game," he said.
The Daily Grind: Will you play SWTOR when it's F2P?
So Star Wars: The Old Republic going free-to-play is about as surprising as Tatooine's twin suns rising over the Dune Sea. The game has bled a considerable amount of subs since its December 2011 launch, and while it's far from a failure, it's also not quite the success that some predicted. Is a lower entry barrier enough to keep the game relevant, though, particularly in light of Guild Wars 2's impending launch? It's hard to say, but the next few months sure will be interesting to watch. So what about you, morning crew? Will SWTOR's new business model draw you (back) into the fold? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
SWTOR's Ohlen: F2P 'not super easy to do'
Does BioWare think free-to-play can work for Star Wars: The Old Republic? It's probably a bit early to know for sure despite the scuttlebutt circulating in the gaming press recently. If you're looking for further insight into what many see as the inevitable, though, you should check out PC Gamer's recap of an E3 interview with game director James Ohlen. "I think [F2P] can work for different games. It really depends on how you go with your game. Games that have been built to be free-to-play from the start definitely work out," Ohlen explains. "Now, there have been games that weren't free to play from the start and transferred over to becoming free-to-play that have worked as well. But it's definitely not something that's super easy to do."
EA boss: SWTOR 'absolutely going to embrace' free model
There's more news incoming on the Star Wars: The Old Republic free-to-play front. Electronic Arts boss Frank Gibeau recently talked business strategy with GamesIndustry International. "We're going to be in the business from a long-term standpoint so absolutely we're going to embrace free access, free trial, ultimately some day we can move in and embrace that model," he tells the website. Gibeau also stresses that EA is "really proud of Star Wars" and "really excited about the launch." He stops short of sounding the death-knell for the subscription model, though. "I don't think subscriptions ever go away, but when you have an IP as broad as Star Wars, we're definitely going to look at opportunities to grow that business and look at different ways of bringing customers in and serving them," he says.
