Bioware confirms it’s moving on from Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO

Bioware has finally confirmed that it is handing over the galactic reins of Star Wars, The Old Republic I move on to Ultima Online’s Broadsword studio.

General manager Gary McKay broke the news in a letter to players today on the Bioware blog, news that virtually everyone already knew about.

According to McKayEA will remain publisher and game development will transition to boutique studio Broadsword, with team members from both studios joining forces to ensure that “worlds and communities continue to thrive and grow.”

Players can expect all current development plans to remain in place, with new features planned for the future.

Most of the current SWTOR team will be invited to accompany the game to Broadsword along with executive producer Keith Kanneg. For those who don’t, EA will support those affected by the SWTOR change with the opportunity to find new roles within EA.

“In the long run, we are confident that this is the best decision for the game and its community,” McKay said. “We at BioWare will miss being a part of SWTOR history going forward. But we also know that you will be in very good hands.”

With SWTOR off the list, Bioware now has additional time to focus on Dragon Age and Mass Effect. For Dragon Age, the team plans to continue “building, polishing, and fine-tuning” the game, and the Mass Effect team will continue pre-production.