The inevitable push towards free-to-play MMO titles has been a long and slow process, but has increased dramatically in the few years since the very profitable Lord of the Rings Online showcased how much can be made from switching methods.

It seems this is no different for Star Wars: The Old Republic, Bioware's first MMO that launched late last year and has since been inching towards the free-to-play region. While the notion of change is in the works, president of EA Frank Gibeau believes they won't fully get rid of the subscription model, stating to Kotaku that "I think subscription is just one way delivering content".

In the case of Battlefield Premium, Gibeau believes having the extra subscription has helped moved more than a million subscriptions, however in The Old Republic's case a free-to-play model would better suit the market and the players. Though Gibeau notes that while the game will be free-to-play, it isn't going to not offer subscriptions. While you can easily jump into the game and play for free, you'll be given the option (if you want) to purchase a subscription that will offer a bit more in terms of gameplay and access.

The EA president goes on to say that free-to-play games and ones that require monthly subscriptions will always be able to co-exist, saying that games like League of Legends could easily work together in the same environment as Star Wars: The Old Republic.

Source: Kotaku [The Old Republic Is Going Free-to-Play, But EA Prez Says Subscriptions Aren’t Dead]