Star Wars: The Old Republic Going Free to Play

EA has announced that their MMORPG “Star Wars: The Old Republic” is making the move to a free to play model, adopting a parallel subscription service with paid micro-transactions in-game.

This move comes after the subscription base of the relatively new online world has seen surprisingly large drops in popularity since it’s launch. Changing to a free to play model maybe EA’s last attempt to keep the online world alive.

But what does this mean for the players? Current subscribers will receive a compensation of sorts for time that they have already purchased in the form of the micro-transaction currency “Cartel Coins” along with exclusive in-game items for sale. People playing on the free to play side of things will be able to play until level 50, however some content and features will be locked out.

Making the move to free to play has in the past done wonders for games such as Lord of the Rings Online and Global Agenda, so we may see a spike in the permanent player base in the coming months.

To transition to the free to play model (Which will be released sometime in the coming months), the price of the base SWTOR game will be lowered to $14.99 USD (Probably through either the game’s website or Origin).

More information on what current and future subscribers will receive HERE.

More information on the new model HERE.

Have you been playing Star Wars: The Old Republic since launch? What do you think of the updates and content releases so far? Do you agree with the free to play model being adopted by EA in this case? Leave your thoughts below.