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Long Live The Old Republic
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PCGamer have published an interview with Star Wars: The Old Republic creative director Charles Boyd.

As their article title sugggests, they have no plans to shut down.

Is that news?

For most businesses, no but MMOs (massively multiplayer online games) regularly publicise the fact that they have no plans to shut down.

It's a curious custom unique to online games. Being dependent on ongoing financial viability of an online service, shut downs are a real risk and something which can both deter players from trying a game and also drive players to abandon a currently operational one.

When players are effectively a form of content, lack thereof can drive the remaining players away.

SWTOR's story content is brilliant and really evokes a sense of being in the world of Star Wars and they take it a level not seen in other games with each of its eight classes having their own substantial storylines.

It's an almost unqualified success in this respect.

How is it qualified?

The author's article reminisces fondly about those storylines, laments the unlikelihood of seeing more and quote's the creative director confirming that with:

It's literally eight times the work, right?

These storylines are one respect in which SWTOR is clearly superior to competitors but also sets a standard which the developers now have no hope of matching. They bet on being more popular and generating enough revenue to continue along these lines, but failed.

SWTOR will celebrate its 10th anniversary next month on December 20.

Legacy of the Sith, their next major expansion, is also expected to release soon - "holidays 2021" - and includes an interesting multi-classing mechanic which could reignite interest in the game.

References

Brown, Fraser (November 4, 2021). BioWare has no plans to end Star Wars: The Old Republic anytime soon. PCGamer.com.

The SWTOR Team (July 1, 2021). Announcing Legacy of the Sith, the next expansion for Star Wars: The Old Republic. SWTOR.com.