EA has confirmed it is now going to change its developer for Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Star Wars: The Old Republic Changes Its Developer
IGN recently reported that EA has signed a letter of intent with third-party studio Broadsword Online Games. The publisher is now nearing an agreement to move the ongoing development and operation of MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic from BioWare to this new studio. The deal is expected to be finalized as soon as this month.
Who Runs Broadsword Online Games?
Broadsword Online Games is run by former Mythic Entertainment Co-Founder and BioWare VP Rob Denton. He has worked previously on The Old Republic in its early days. The studio is currently handling games like Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot.
EA has also released a new statement to confirm this:
“Almost 12 years after launch, Star Wars: The Old Republic remains a success and continues to grow its dedicated and passionate community. We’re so proud of the work the team has done, and the future of the game and the community continues to be very bright. We’re evaluating how we give the game and the team the best opportunity to grow and evolve, which includes conversations with Broadsword, a boutique studio that specializes in delivering online, community-driven experiences. Our goal is to do what is best for the game and its players.”
What Happens to Old Team Members?
It has been revealed that there are only roughly 70-80 developers that are part of the core development team of the game. More than half of those will be moving to Broadsword to continue their work. The ones who will remain with EA will be able to look for other roles elsewhere within the company or they could face layoffs.
What Happens to the Game
Star Wars: The Old Republic will still get planned content updates like the upcoming patch 7.3 and the next PvP season with so much more in the near future. EA will still be the publisher while BioWare will now focus its resource on single-player games like Dragon Age and Mass Effect.
Star Wars: The Old Republic is now available on PC.