NEAT: Star Wars: The Old Republic makers will add a substantial free-to-play option during Nov 2012. - Relaxnews 2012
Having launched its subscription-based assault on the dominant online role-playing game World of Warcraft in Dec 2011, Star Wars: The Old Republic makers will add a substantial free-to-play option during Nov 2012.
Following a February high of 1.7 million subscribers (in contrast to WoW's December numbers of 10.2 million), publisher Electronic Arts revealed on July 31 that numbers had dipped under the one million mark, while remaining above the 500,000 that were needed to keep the game in profit.
To that end, a subscription option will be kept on the table, offering the full range of character creation choices and weekly bonus missions, as well as priority access to and faster navigation around the gameworld in exchange for US$14.99 (RM45) a month.
The move will have been made with an eye on the Aug 28 launch of Guild Wars 2, made by ArenaNet of Washington State and published by NCSoft of South Korea, and a title which requires only one up-front payment (roughly the same price as a standard retail game) with no monthly fees. - Relaxnews 2012
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www.swtor.com/free