Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWOTR) is celebrating its 10th anniversary and BioWare are still supporting the online role-playing game with new content. There's a new expansion called Legacy of the Sith kicking off a year-long galactic adventure. And in a very cool move we're getting all of the great cinematics for the game remastered in sweet 4K.

Starting with "Deceived", which made its debut back on June 1, 2009.



This has been followed up with "Return" from 2011.



Yeah, it's very cool getting to see these in 4K -- these are great little Star Wars vignettes. If you haven't jumped into Star Wars: The Old Republic in a while BioWare has also put up a full post outlining what to expect in the Legacy of the Sith expansion.

Star Wars: The Old Republic, the BioWare developed free-to-play MMO set in the Star Wars universe, has arrived on Steam with full cross-save and crossplay support. This isn't merely using Steam as a launcher either as players will be able to jump directly into the galaxy far, far away and earn Achievements, Trading Cards, and other rewards specific to Valve's platform.

If you're a Star Wars fan this is an experience that comes highly recommended as it features a great cinematic story with full voice acting and wonderful touches depending on whether or not you decide to go Jedi or Sith or Bounty Hunter.

Here's a compilation of all the excellent cinematic trailers for Star Wars: The Old Republic. And yeah, seeing the LucasArts logo definitely brings up just how long this has been around.



On that front this version also benefits from 8 years of polish and updates and expansions that have continued the story and improved the experience. Star Wars: The Old Republic also features a subscription model that adds several quality of life features to make it all less grindy (it is an MMO after all) in addition to DLC packs and in-game currency to spend on content and other cosmetic goodies. But it's still very much free to check out without feeling like you need to spend any money for several hours - which is how we played it a few years back.

Plus, this continues the recent trend of EA bringing everything to Steam. Head here to check it out.

The latest expansion for EA and BioWare's online Star Wars: The Old Republic begins this December. Called, Knights of the Eternal Throne it looks to follow in the footsteps of last year's Knights of the Fallen Empire by offering up a more story-driven experience. Which itself followed in the hallowed footsteps of the classic Knights of the Old Republic, or KOTOR. And the six-minute plus cinematic trailer for Knights of the Eternal Throne more than lives up to its pedigree, offering a fantastic Star Wars story told almost entirely through action and not words.

And in speaking of action, the intense night-time bridge light-saber duel we get to see is right up there. Great stuff.



And after viewing the above cinematic the very brief synopsis for the expansion sounds all the more powerful.

Knights of the Eternal Throne puts the player at the center of their own explosive battle to rule the galaxy. As the Outlander, a veteran of the Great Galactic War, players will have the power to make their mark based on their light and dark side choices. Stakes are high as the player faces the most powerful villains in the galaxy including Emperor Valkorion and Empress Vaylin, as you lead the fight to take control of the Eternal Throne.

Star Wars: The Old Republic's Shadow of Revan expansion is now live, bringing a swathe of new content including increase in levels and a new storyline arc to the free-to-play MMO.

The new expansion will deliver a chunk of new story content centered around Revan, a powerful Jedi central to the plot of BioWare and Obsidian’s Knights of the Old Republic RPGs. According to its description, Shadow of Revan will focus in on the re-emergence of “a long-hidden sect of extremists” led by Revan intending to enact a plan that “will leave the Republic and the Empire in ashes.”

What this amounts to in terms of gameplay is “five new levels” of narrative, a new level cap of 60 and new “high-level multiplayer Flashpoints and Operations.” The expansion will also add in a fresh swathe of gear and reputation rewards as well as a new “discipline system” that will allow players to “customize [their] combat experience” by selecting new disciplines as they advance through the game.

Unfortunately for all free-to-play players, the new content is subject to all the same restrictions as the rest of the game. To see BioWare’s full announcement, feel free to head over to the game’s official website.

BioWare has unveiled a new trailer for their free-to-play MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic, suggesting that evil doer Revan will be making a return to the sci-fi universe.

Revan originally appeared as the amnesia-ridden protagonist of Star Wars: Knights of The Old Republic for the original Xbox. He wouldn't be seen again for some time, with only some brief appearances in the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMORPG for PC, most notably a mid-level Flashpoint. This new trailer shines a light on him however, which leads us to believe he will play a major role in the upcoming 3.0 update for the game.

This is most likely the tip of the iceberg for update 3.0, with BioWare noting that full details on the expansion are to be revealed by the end of September. While we wait for that day to come, check out the short snippet below.

After making a brief appearance at Gamescom 2014 this past week, developer BioWare has confirmed in a recent gameplay trailer that the long-awaited player housing for their MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic will be hitting servers as soon as next week.

The new addition will be part of the game's Galactic Strongholds expansion, which will also feature Guild Flagships alongside Strongholds. In short, players of The Old Republic will soon be given the chance to create player and guild housing, complete with fancy Star Wars-themed objects to place in your house.

The trailer below shows off Galactic Strongholds, which releases for long-term subscribers on August 19th. It comes to players with preferred status on September 16, and launches for all on October 14th.

Continuing on from The Elder Scrolls Online's subscriber count, BioWare's own Star Wars-themed MMO The Old Republic is continuing to push for even more revenue thanks to its free-to-play move last year, having generated a whopping $165 million in 2013 according to research group SuperData.

The new report on all things MMO also points to Blizzard's World of Warcraft as a continued success, topping the market with a crazy total of $1 billion in revenue last year and a market percentage of 36 overall. Second place was offered to NCSoft's first game in the Lineage series at a reasonable $235 million in revenue. From there it moves down to TERA: Online ($236M) as third place, Star Wars as fourth and Lord of the Rings Online ($104M) as fifth.

Looking at the top 10 chart, one thing that pops to mind is the continued success of the free-to-play market, with only two MMOs utilising the age-old subscription model - World of Warcraft and space sim EVE Online.

Overall, revenue from subscriptions has dropped every year since 2010 - from 30.6 million subscribers to 23.4 million subscribers this year, according to SuperData. According to SuperData, the amount of revenue generated from in-game transactions has almost doubled in the last five years, from 14 percent to 27 percent.

BioWare has revealed its plans for celebrating "Star Wars Day" within The Old Republic MMO, offering players a free mini-pet and the ability to gain double experience from Friday, May 2nd through to Monday, May 5th.

The promotion is part of a celebration of "Star Wars Day" (May 4), where people around the world celebrate all things Star Wars, including dressing up and rewatching the six films in one stretch. Those interested in picking up the MT-4T Astromech Droid mini-pet can do so on April 29th, however those joining in on the action must have an active account by May 4th; the droid will be delivered via in-game mail. Players can bring the droid into missions, player-vs-player zones and operations, just don't feed it too much oil.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is available as a free-to-play MMO, which you can find more details on over here.

Star Wars: The Old Republic’s early access to the Galactic Strongholds expansion has been delayed, according to a letter from senior producer Bruce Maclean on the official website.

The expansion was set to add player housing to the game in the form of Strongholds, as well as Guild Flagships - huge flying bases where you can convene. According to Maclean, subscriber early access has been moved from June 24 to August 19 so the development team at Bioware can add more features such as a Tatooine Homestead stronghold, and more. He states that for GS to truly feel like an expansion, "it needs to include the full set of features including those originally coming later in the year."

BioWare has also moved the deadline date for subscribers who are looking to get early access rewards. It's now July 15th instead of May 11th, meaning that you'll need to sub up by the former date if you want the Nar Shaddaa Sky Palace with three additional rooms and the other promised goodies. After the August 19th subscriber early access period, preferred early access and the official launch will follow in September and October.

Developer BioWare has announced that their latest expansion, Galactic Strongholds, will be launching this Winter for Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Previously teased with a very brief trailer, the new expansion brings a kind of player housing to the MMO, known as Strongholds, as well as Guild Flagships - huge flying bases where you can convene. If that wasn't Star Wars enough, the Strongholds can be decorated with acquired trophies and furniture, and even a leaderboard to compete with fellow players on who has the best stuff, called a Stronghold Directory.

In Galactic Strongholds, players can live on multiple planets and customize their prestigious apartments. Players can live in the heart of their faction’s capital world, live in style among the high-rollers of Nar Shaddaa, or even both by owning multiple Strongholds. Hundreds of unique decorations will be available for players to express their own personal style, as well as to boost their Prestige score to compete for top ranking in the Stronghold Directory. Friends can be invited and transported to a player’s Stronghold from any in-game location to socialize. At official launch, Guilds will also be able to launch powerful Guild Flagships where members can meet, plan, and strategize for their next adventure.

As is customary with BioWare's MMO, extra benefits are offered to subscribers as opposed to those on the free-to-play platter, all of which is detailed in full on the game's official splash page.

The expansion will be launching in August, with early access available in July.

A trailer released today for Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare's massively multiplayer online role-playing game, appears to tease an upcoming feature: player housing.

With as little of a description as possible on the YouTube trailer, BioWare is suggesting that players "Get ready to make yourself at home in Star Wars: The Old Republic," clearly pointing at some form of player housing heading to the space MMO soon enough. Feature some John Williams-like orchestral soundtrack, the trailer clocks in at 52 seconds, giving you the briefest of teases as to what you can expect life will be like in the future when we all get Jedi powers.

Hit the trailer below to see it for yourself, and hopefully we'll get a full disclosure of what to expect in the coming weeks.

Galactic starfighters arrived in Star Wars: The Old Republic today for players with Preferred Early Access to the game.

According to developer Bioware, the massively multiplayer online role-playing game's second expansion, Galactic Starfighter, will be available to everyone else February 4th. One of the main features of the new expansion is the addition of 12 vs 12 space battles, a feature sorely missing since its launch back in 2011.

The new starships are now available for anyone who was once a subscriber of the MMO or has purchased items in Star Wars: The Old Republic's store. Those who qualify and join during the Preferred Early Access period will get access to new pilot suits and the in-game designation of "Test Pilot."

Check out the trailer below showing off the new space battles and a glimpse at each of the available starships on offer.

BioWare has revealed the next digital expansion for their now free-to-play Star Wars MMO, giving it a fitting title of Galactic Starfighter. One of the main features of the new expansion is the addition of 12 vs 12 space battles, a feature sorely missing since its launch back in 2011.

Experience epic Player-vs-Player (PvP) dogfighting in the new Free-to-Play Star Wars: The Old Republic Digital Expansion, Galactic Starfighter. Join 12v12 free flight combat action and jump into fierce factional battles as the war between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic explodes into space. Compete and advance to earn ground game rewards plus new weapons, powers and abilities to customize your ultimate Starfighter!

The expansion will also offer up a variety of unique starships to compete in and of course the ability to customise said ships to your hearts content. Other features include new game modes, battle zones and the ability to earn XP for you ground game characters.

“Our goal with Star Wars: The Old Republic has always been to immerse players into their own Star Wars adventure and huge space battles are a vital part of fulfilling that fantasy,” said Jeff Hickman, General Manager of BioWare Austin. “Galactic Starfighter will be a deep experience that will continue to grow over time. We can’t wait for both our current and new players to get their hands on it soon.”

Those who have been subscribed to the game will be able to receive special rewards come December 3rd alongside an Early Access opportunity. These rewards include exclusive paints jobs, pilot suits, two titles and the maximum leveling and progression benefit. The expansion will also be offered as to free-to-play members beginning on February 4th.

Check out the full details over at the official splash page, and find the announcement trailer below for a look at the chaotic space battles.

BioWare's now free-to-play MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic will be introducing a new Ewok companion in the upcoming patch 2.3, according to reports from MMO guide website Dulfy.

Those interested in gaining access to this new fuzzy companion will find the cost at 1 million credits, with a requirement of Legacy level 40. Tweek, as she is called, will also lend her skills in combat in the form healing and tank stances among other abilities. Her primary stat is "Aim" and also has a "Bounty Hunting Treek Customization" which costs an additional 250k credits.

A cutscene trailer can be viewed below to know more on Treek's background, but steer clear if you want to avoid spoilers.

Bioware will be closing the Australia/Pacific servers shortly after the expansion Rise of the Hutt Cartel due to low population issues. An official statement was made on the game's forums by Community Manager Eric Musco.

Getting to the point of being able to merge the servers is going to be a multistep process. First off we need to update our Free Character Transfer System to include the game changes that we have made recently along with the upcoming changes in Game Update 2.0 and the Digital Expansion: Rise of the Hutt Cartel. We will then offer Free Character Transfers to anyone currently playing on an APAC server to a North American server of the same gameplay type, specifically:

• Mastar Dar’Nala (PvP) will transfer to The Bastion (PvP)
  
• Gav Daragon (RP-PvE) will transfer to Begeren Colony (RP-PvE)
  
• Dalborra (PvE) will transfer to The Harbinger (PvE)

We will also need to update our server merge technology at which point we will ultimately merge each of the APAC servers into the corresponding North American servers as indicated above. We are moving as quickly as we can to make this happen, but we want to make sure this is a smooth transition, so it will take some time.

The Rise of the Hutt Cartel content expansion is due to arrive on April 14th 2013.

Promoted/Edited forum item

Star Wars: The Old Republic developer BioWare has today unveiled new details regarding upcoming game update 1.7, which will see new in-game content coming to the free-to-play title including a look at the mysteries behind the Grey Secant, an ancient Gree starship.

Game Update 1.7 is coming soon to Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ which will give players brand new in-game content to experience including Relics of the Gree, a limited time live event occurring across the galaxy, and the Galactic Reputation system, an exciting new way for players progress their characters.

Relics of the Gree – Discover the mysteries behind the Grey Secant, an ancient Gree starship that has suddenly appeared over Ilum’s Western Ice Shelf. From February 12 to February 26, players can visit the in-game News Terminals located on Carrick Station or Vaiken Spacedock to begin their adventure. The Gree have promised advanced technology, including powerful weapons and armor, to anyone who is brave enough to aid them against an insidious foe who has taken control at the heart of their ship.

Galactic Reputation – This new system enables players to earn Reputation points by completing missions for factions such as the Gree, or for military divisions within the Republic and the Empire. The Galactic Reputation system advances characters through six ranks of increasing prestige: “Outsider”, "Newcomer", "Friend", "Hero", "Champion", and "Legend". Galactic Reputation is also tied to a character’s Legacy, so Reputation points and ranks are shared across all the characters within the same Legacy.

BioWare has also released a new sneak peak trailer showing just what to expect from this Gree-orientated updated, which you can check out below. You can also find more information on the update at the official website here.

BioWare has revealed their first digital expansion for the recently gone free-to-play title Star Wars: The Old Republic (thanks Nerf Lord), making its way to players in 2013. The new expansion is titled "Rise of the Hutt Cartel" and will see a level increase to 55, new story content and also the introduction of the Makeb planet.

The first Digital Expansion for The Old Republic introduces an aggressive new enemy threatening the future of the galaxy: the Hutt Cartel

Experience 5 new levels, including story-driven missions, as the level cap increases to 55!

Face-off against a frightening new enemy when you battle the nefarious Hutt Cartel.

The fate of the new planet Makeb is at stake... and in your hands.

Currently information is still light on what else players can expect from the first expansion, however for those eager you can expect to pay $9.99 as a subscriber or $19.99 for anyone who is using the new free-to-play option. BioWare are also offering five days of early access to the expansion if you pre-order before January 7th 2013, with both pricing plans able to take up on the offer. Pre-ordering will also garner a "preferred status" for free-to-play players, allowing access to more of the games content.

BioWare and Lucas Arts have today announced that the free-to-play option for their Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO has now gone live, allowing players to experience the eight class stories available.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is a story-driven, massively multiplayer online game with a Free-to-Play option from BioWare and LucasArts. Set thousands of years before the classic Star Wars movies, players team up with friends online to fight in heroic battles, explore a galaxy of vibrant planets and experience visceral Star Wars combat, all set to a sweeping musical score.

Players are asked to join forces with either the Galactic Republic or Sith Empire and choose one of eight iconic Star Wars characters, including the Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler, Trooper, Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent.

BioWare has also coincided the release of Game Update 1.5: HK-51 Activated, which adds new areas to explore, a new Companion character and more. Players who take up on the free-to-play option will find that they can level all the way to 50, however there are certain restrictions being placed, including limited access to chat functionality and Flashpoints.

For more info on what to expect from the new free-to-play option head over to the official game page which also includes a chart on what features each subscription model can access.

BioWare has announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic will be going free-to-play next week according to a recent update on the MMO's official website, stating that the option will become available alongside the release of Game Update 1.5.

Today we are excited to announce that the global launch date of the Star Wars: The Old Republic Free-to-Play option will be November 15, 2012. This release will be simultaneous across all of the territories and countries The Old Republic is available.

If you’re a paying Subscriber at the launch of the Free-to-Play option on November 15th, you will be granted all of the Complimentary Cartel Coins currently listed on your Cartel Coin Ledger page, plus a one-time grant of 250 Complimentary Cartel Coins!

Players looking at joining the ranks of the Star Wars MMO can check out a full run down of what to expect in the free-to-play system, including mentions of restrictions to those playing for free over here. The most significant restriction seems to be that a slower exp gain will be made to those on the new system, however everyone will be able to access all level 1-50 content including each storyline.

A new devolper diary has also been released, detailing what players can expect from the MMO's 'Cartel Store', a marketplace that players can purchase various items from with the new in-game currency being added in Game Update 1.5. CHeck out the video below for more details.

Star Wars: The Old Republic is poised to go free-to-play before the end of November (dated as Northen "Fall 2012"), but in addition to a micro-transaction element, there will still be a premium subscription option. For players wondering how these options are going to differ, BioWare has now published a "Free-to-play Option Chart" detailing the features of each (via: Massively):

As a general rule, the restrictions are in threes: three Flashpoints per week, three Warzones per week, three Space Missions per week. Players will also be able to buy weekly passes for these features to get unlimited access. There will also be restrictions on inventory expansions and cargo hold storage for free players, and field revivals on death will be limited.

Further information on TOR's free-to-play implementation can be found in the game's support pages.