Bioware’s moving on from its Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO, Broadsword picking up the lightsaber

Bioware will soon hand over the development and operation of its Star Wars, The Old Republic MMO to Ultima Online studio Broadsword Online.

First reported by IGNEA and Broadsword were said to have agreed to have the latter take over the online game later this month.

Those playing the game shouldn’t worry too much as The Old Republic should be in safe hands, as the studio is led by former Mythic Entertainment co-founder and BioWare VP Rob Denton, who previously worked on the MMO.

After the story broke, EA released a statement saying the change is “in the best interest of the game” and “its players.”

“Nearly 12 years after launch, Star Wars: The Old Republic remains a success and continues to grow its dedicated and passionate community,” EA said. “We are very proud of the work the team has done and the future of the game and the community continues to be very bright.

“We are evaluating how we give the game and the team the best opportunity to grow and evolve, which includes discussions with Broadsword, a boutique studio that specializes in delivering community-driven online experiences. Our goal is to do what’s best for the game and its players.

BioWare executive producer Keith Kanneg had further comments on the game’s official forums. In the statement, Kanneg, who is responsible for the SWOTOR franchise and live operations of EA’s live service games for Bioware, said he would expect more details on the change later.

Kanneg made the statement on the forums to calm down those who thought the game was going the way of Dradan.

“This is a new beginning, not the end,” Kenneg said. “We have more stories, updates, and MMO content already planned beyond 7.4. While behind-the-scenes details are discussed and finalized, let’s not turn this into incorrect theories.” .

“I ask that you stand your ground and we will follow up later with more details when we can.”

EA will remain the publisher of the game, and the report indicates that half of the SWTOR team will move to Broadsword to continue development of the MMO. The remaining members of the team will be able to find other roles elsewhere within EA, but may also face termination.

The move will also allow Bioware to devote more resources to Dragon Age: Dreadwolf and the next Mass Effect title.

SWTOR was announced in 2008, and after a few instances of retail testing the game, it was released on December 20, 2011, with a development budget of $200 million. Developed by BioWare Austin and a team at BioWare Edmonton, the story takes place shortly after the establishment of a tenuous peace between the Sith Empire and the Galactic Republic. It started out as a paid service title, before moving to a hybrid free-to-play model in 2012. As of 2019, the game has generated over $1 billion in revenue for EA.

Over the years, it has seen eight expansions, additional end-game content, and various in-game events, making it one of the most up-to-date MMOs in terms of content in the last 12 years.