BioWare’s flagship MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic was a noble experiment in two ways. First, it was focused on story, bringing each character class through their own arc in the game. Secondly, it tested the idea that an MMO could still run on monthly subscription charges. The experiment failed. MMO gamers raced through the storylines at a staggering rate, leaving them perched over a cliff facing a void of content. Now, after losing subscribers at a fair clip, Star Wars: The Old Republic is going free-to-play. So what do those loyal subscribers who stayed get out of the deal? GameInformer has the story.
It would be unfair to say SWtOR itself failed. The game still holds firm on a subscriber base that anyone outside of Warcraft would envy. And fear. The real issue here is that the design of single player games with their fixed stories and limited content, doesn’t work for an MMO. A successful MMO must give the player a reason to log in every day, for years. That means something, hopefully several somethings, to do at all times, always, with other people.
Until SWtOR finds its something, the game will continue to fade.