BioWare appears to be done with Star Wars: The Old Republic. According to IGN’s sources, EA is nearing an agreement to move the development and operation of the MMORPG from BioWare to Broadsword, the third-party developer behind Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot. EA appears to have confirmed that changes are coming, sharing a statement after the publication of the story that implied the old team would be leaving. Launched in 2011 and now free to play, Star Wars: The Old Republic is set thousands of years before the original movie trilogy from George Lucas, and there’s been eight expansion packs so far, including Legacy of the Sith.
“Almost 12 years after launch, Star Wars: The Old Republic remains a success and continues to grow its dedicated and passionate community,” reads the statement from EA. “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.”
From an IGN report:
Currently, roughly 70-80 people are part of the core development team of The Old Republic, more than half of whom are expected to move to Broadsword. Those remaining with EA would have an opportunity to look for roles elsewhere within the company, but may otherwise face layoffs.
The Old Republic will continue to see planned content updates, such as the upcoming patch 7.3 and the next PvP season, with more expected down the line. EA will remain as the game’s publisher, while BioWare will focus its resources on single-player games such as Dragon Age and Mass Effect. The two series announced new games in 2018 and 2020, respectively, but details for both have been scarce ever since and Dragon Age: Dreadwolf in particular seems to be suffering from an exodus of senior leadership. Its QA workers voted to unionize last year.