SWTOR moving from BIOWARE to BROADSWORD?

[@Swtorista]

Sorry about the music volume!

[@deitus1375]

Just like the character select screen

[@foxtronaut_crashsite]

​@@deitus1375OMG its not just me then. i have to mute it every time because it gives me anxiety. and i never get anxiety lmfao

[@matt2181]

Love the music

[@TheRealHoloNet]

We love you nonetheless 😊

[@SvendleBerries]

WHAT!? I cant hear you over the music volume! Seriously though, its fine lol :D

[@Keeladron]

Broadsword is the resting place for great games that are put to pasture. They run UO and DAoC both of which have seen minimum if any updates since being taken over. If broadsword takes over don't expect anymore content. They have a very small team split between two games that are already 20+ years old. They are the last farmer to get every drop of milk before the cow dies.

[@iv4nGG]

This. So much copium in the comments and this fans don’t want to hear…

[@gulfcoastbeyblades2192]

@iv4nGG it's the truth though. I'm a fan and the moment I heard broadsword was taking over I canceled my subscription. If they do have any content Or any other future updates it's gonna be because biaware probably handed them over some ideas and stuff that they were already working on. I give this game About 2 years tops Before the decline ultimately brings it down

[@88oscuro]

Still haven't released UO classic 😢

[@whaterverman479]

@@gulfcoastbeyblades2192 Sorry but you’re wrong. And a games original dev team doesn’t move studios with a game that is set to die in maintenance mode 🤣 SWTOR is thriving and it isn’t copium. Is this some sad attempt to get people to quit and join your favorite shitty MMO ?? BioWare has been milking SWTOR’s excess profits to fund games that have failed. This will get much better with a new studio. As usually the KZbin comment section filled with geniuses who have no idea what’s going on

[@gulfcoastbeyblades2192]

Okay pal I'm not going to keep rehashing the same shit over and over. Think what you want I'll think what I want. If you don't think the games that they're currently operating right now or graveyard games then I don't know what to tell you as for biaware milking profits to fund other games. I'm sure that they're doing that on their own accord and it's got nothing to do with the giant Mega corporation above them riot? Like I said I give it about 2 years top Before it runs out of steam and the decline gets unbearable. Server populations have been declining for quite some time I'm sure you remember the big Mega server merge? Or maybe you haven't been playing that long so you think that what's going on right now is normal. I've been here since the beginning I have a founder title I did the closed betas Things were definitely slow and in decline during the disastrous creation that was anthem. That diverted so many resources so much money and good workers away from that game. I thought they were kind of picking it up a little bit with the storyline I loved the new expansion thought it was a really great edition a little short but on the right track. If this game puts out any new content it's gonna be because It's stuff that they were already working on before the switch. But I do not have any faith at all that broadsword is gonna handle this game correctly. Say what you want about copium but there's more than enough evidence to support what me and many other commenters on here saying. I'm glad that you have faith in the game believe me I hope that I'm wrong I really am and if it's still around and getting solid updates in new content Then I'll probably sign backup if they add More immersion and make the more intricate and in depth That would be great. I just don't have faith that they're going to be able to deliver on the promises that they've made because time and time again both EA and bioware have made plenty of promises and quite often they have Not been fulfilled. You can use the word copium all you want but I'm being realistic despite what my blind optimism tells me I'm looking at the past experiences and it does not paint a super positive picture. It Doesn't do to dwell on dreams and memories of a forgotten past all you're gonna do is miss the stuff that's happening around you just because your hanging on to something that used to be great. Look at how many people have left the original team. There's a lot of interviews from a lot of different people that have worked on that game that have been a part of bioware and they don't paint a very pleasant picture. There's a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes that I don't think You realize or you're just refusing to acknowledge it because again you're just hoping with all your blind faith and optimism that things are gonna turn out OK. Bro the workers are tired the coders the riders the programmers the graphic artists all those people are fed up with the bullshit. They were part of something great and for the 1st few years it ran really well but corporate b******* crept in agendas and foolish narrow minded ceos that cared nothing for the product that they were selling they only wanted to pump something out cheap and fast they got in the way and It's never really stopped since

[@TheXavierfull]

¨Don´t cry because its over, smile because it happened¨ -Dr. Seuss

[@ReiseLukas]

I hope if this goes through that Broadsword gives the property a facelift

[@whaterverman479]

Well the big mistake was that SWTOR generates massive cash but it doesn’t get the attention it deserves and the money was used for biowares other future projects…maybe now they can put the games income to better use. Hopefully bigger updates with less time between each. Don’t listen to the toxic “maintenance mode” people, it ain’t happening, the game brings in way to much money to kill it off. Everything comes down to money..

[@jimhansen5395]

@@whaterverman479 Do you have a source for this? I'm keenly interested in details?

[@EliseFeure]

​@Whaterver Man so this makes sense to you, SWTOR makes tons of money AND gives free money to other Bioware Projects, but EA wants to sell it because ? ???

[@ttvkyberwolf6659]

Imagine if it got the graphics of the trailers. (still the biggest catfish in gaming history😂)

[@FeedMeChaos1]

@@ttvkyberwolf6659 man that'd be the dream

[@briantaylorkinney1655]

Thank you for your many years of service to the SWTOR Community. After the announcement of Broadsword, I immediately was looking for your reaction.

[@Swtorista]

Yeah! I wanted to try and gather some facts first haha.

[@Curriation]

Although I haven't played SWTOR in a couple of years, I sincerely do hope that the game will continue on in the future. I also, hope and wish you all the best on anything you want to get into in the future Swtorista. You're videos have been great for all the content on SWTOR and I'm sure will be great for whatever you want to do.

[@khrowv]

I would really love it if a new studio took over and expanded on the base content. My biggest issue with the game is the lack of world content, I'd love open world events, more world quests with unique rewards, things like that. Also more mid range content would be amazing to play with friends outside of raids and dungeons

[@Kira110lol]

@@foxtronaut_crashsite This studio only has failed projects they just keep online with nothing new or impressive. What do you mean?

[@whaterverman479]

@@Kira110lolAnd is SWTOR a failed project ? 😂 people so toxic and insane . Stop generalizing, they are literally just moving to a new studio, BioWare is just too busy for SWTOR, broadsword will put our money to good use and give the game the attention it deserves. We live in the era of fake news and hysteria over every little thing

[@Kira110lol]

@@whaterverman479 SWTOR is not a game that's alive and well that's for sure and anyone saying otherwise is high. I WISH it were different. I still play. It isn't a game that's well off and kicking. The player numbers and popularity is speaking. It is VERY low. The only luck it has, it's the IP. Yes they are moving to a new studio. The current situation is crap. The future situation has evidence it might be worse or JUST AS BAD. There is NO evidence the money will be put to good use and get the attention it deserves. I want the game to succeed. I don't want it to fail. If it were me I would have hoped someone did a complete overhaul and make the game Top 5. I wish it could compete with the Top MMO's on the market. It can't. It never did actually. But that is just HOPES. You keep saying "The best case scenario will happen because I say so" with no evidence or even theory to support that claim. You're speaking out of copium right now.

[@BeegGorg]

@@Kira110lol Facts

[@alpha_9997]

@@Kira110loli might try it, i played it briefly last year, is it any good?

[@Manpeace]

Oh my, this game will always have a place in my heart. From beta weekends, early access and a Level 50 Jedi Sentinel in a 300+ people guild, to Top 3 Solo Ranked and 400+ days played betweenDec 2011-2015. Man, this game was my life in a rough period of it. BioWare did a great job first couple of years, even the Kotet and Kotfe were good I guess but never really likek them as much as Vanilla, RotHC and SoR-eras. Well played BioWare, good bye and thank you for the ride!

[@darkwolf780]

Bioware isn't going anywhere they're just not gonna be on this game anymore all their focus is on Dragon Age and ME4

[@Manpeace]

@@darkwolf780 Yes, but I have no relationship to any other games from BioWare than Swtor. I just felt I had to say good bye to what once was. :)

[@gavelkynde4837]

Subscriber since early access - nowhere near your achievements tho! Feel like i've been watching swtor bleed out for years: i think it's that they just can't make the money out of it they need to - even with a cash-shop that took over in a way beyond anything else I've ever seen in an mmo. Maybe their failures with the economy - letting exploitable vendors into the game and then being unable to fix the explosion of exploits - ultimately turned their cash shop into something pretty much owned by the big exploiters. Kind of ironic I suppose. Meh - WOW is doing great - plenty of content, build diversity and community. Time to move on.

[@tmarton133]

Same, my favorite era was pre-Kotet. I miss the classic setup flashpoint, companion gearing, etc...

[@chauci14]

I started playing since the pandemic and it took me like 14 months to finish all 8 stories+all F2P expansions with my JK. I'm digging this game a lot, I even write down my personalized bio for each character and their companions and I felt shocked about this news. This game will always be supported by this beautiful community and I hope the developers never make a downgrade on their hard effort throughout the years

[@hoe8536]

ive been playing for 7 years and still havent finished all the origin stories lmao

[@SYLXM]

Don't worry! Broadsword is a great team that does great work on Dark age of Camelot and Ultima. The game is in the hands of people who know how to make MMOs. In fact, unless things have changed, I believe the VP of Broadsoward is an EX-Bioware head.

[@JC-kg4ex]

Aslong as the game keeps getting better and bigger its fine by me

[@matthewmammothswine4395]

Neither of those things will happen though. Its going to be maintained to milk the last few delusional players of money through cash shop items. Active development and growth for the game is as good as done.

[@whaterverman479]

@@matthewmammothswine4395what are you talking about the same team is moving to broadsword to continue on the game . The game doesn’t need any “last milking” SWTOR generates massive cash compared to the other mmo’s . Get your head out of your toxic ass

[@Theorcman2008]

But its not. One episode of expansion every 6 months? Gtfoh. They need to do what they used to do and release whole expansions like wow does.

[@whaterverman479]

@@Theorcman2008I agree they need to release expansions closer together , the mistake they made is they use the cash that SWTOR generated for other projects, maybe now the devs can actually put the games future income to good use.

[@raishill149]

Unfortunately Broadsword is a much smaller company so this is probably the biggest swtor gets.

[@marty2129]

SWTOR is also currently the last and only major ongoing new story content for Star Wars Legends universe and old pre-2014 Star Wars continuity (old Star Wars Expanded Universe, SWEU, EU, old canon, "pre-Disney" canon), and it would really be a shame for it to be cancelled or without further development, especially when next April, on 25th, it will be ten years since the reboot-in-all-but-a-name after all and aside of SWTOR there was very little that Lucasfilm gave to that part of fanbase since that day. So I really hope it stays being developed either under BioWare or another studio, or that (no matter how unlikely it seems now with the Story Group actively trying to erase the old canon from memory) Lucasfilm would greenlight some new project in Star Wars Legends universe...

[@swtorfan6756]

Relieved to hear that at least for now, SWTOR isn't going away. I truly love this game and it would be a sad day if it was gone.

[@charlestownsend9280]

There response saying that they have plans beyond 7.4 would be reassuring if they didn't also say that they had big plans for the 10th anniversary, that still haven't materialised.

[@whaterverman479]

Well the big mistake was that SWTOR generates massive cash but it doesn’t get the attention it deserves and the money was used for biowares other future projects…maybe now they can put the games income to better use. Hopefully bigger updates with less time between each. Don’t listen to the toxic “maintenance mode” people, it ain’t happening, the game brings in way to much money to kill it off. Everything comes down to money

[@MysticTroll]

@@whaterverman479 I remember reading an article with a Disney representative in 2019 regarding the future of SWTOR talking with Bioware, and the game would be preserved on two counts: The rich stories and world building they established at the time legends era was so numerous to be dismissed. It made over 1.3 billion (by 2019) in Total revenue and EA and Disney were both very happy with the financials from this game. Considering the influx in players (From Content creators) that number would be higher in 2023.

[@whaterverman479]

@@MysticTrollI think BioWare just doesn’t care about SWTOR anymore and uses the money on their other projects . I believe the game will get the attention it deserves here.

[@ryanglacier30]

​​​@@MysticTrollthat was total revenue since it's launch in 2011 not 2019 alone. It makes about 100 million a year which is still alright if that number has stayed consistent over the last 4 years (most likely went up a bit during the pandemic). FF14 which is the biggest MMO in the world brings in about 400-500 million per year.

[@MysticTroll]

@@ryanglacier30 Yes sorry I should have clarified Total Revenue in 2019 was 1.3 billion, I'll amend that now.

[@haberak3310]

I mean, the mixed reaction is reasonable, Broadsword is a relatively unknown studio for a lot of people, and while its games are generally respected, they are fundamentally different beasts from SWTOR. That said, the recent moves to suddenly make systems easier to update now makes a lot more sense. Depending on how long that Bioware knew this would happen, the promises of plans are either a great relief or don't mean much. Still, higher ups must have known this was coming months at least before news broke, so we'll see.

[@Fektthis]

Their games aren't really their games. They're older games they keep running on their servers and keep them going. They're not updating. They're not adding content. They're just keeping them running. They don't actually make games. It's not what they do. Remember when SWTOR used to be Pay to Skin not Pay to Win.. Keep those memories in your heart. Within a couple months of them taking over that cash shop is going to look mighty different.

[@Kira110lol]

Oh Broadsword is a known studio alright. Known for being the "Life support" to milk games longer without offering anything in return. Plus there's rumors some ex-Anthem devs will be added to the team too which makes it sound even worse... Since Anthem was the biggest flop in recent gaming history.

[@IronLordEXO]

Isn't Broadsword ran by an ex-Bioware dev who worked on SWTOR?

[@asclepius.dionysus]

​@@IronLordEXOyeah

[@killermouse01]

I really do hope this is a move in the right direction, I've been playing this game solo for a long time, and have now begun involvement in a fairly large guild and have begun running MM flashpoint and ops. It's been a great experience and it makes me sad seeing how the game has been changing, but this could be a great opportunity to revive the potential this game has even with how old it is. That's one of the great things about MMO's with the right support staff, us gamers will keep it running because we are a very dedicated gamer base.

[@Gunmarz]

Broadsword doesn't exactly has a gleaming reputation which is the part that scares me.

[@livecarsonreaction]

Been with this game too long to either panic over anything or get hyped by anything. At this point, I'm more attached to the community (and its creators like you) than to the game itself. Everything else is up in the air, so I'm fine with just waiting and seeing.

[@gulfcoastbeyblades2192]

Yeah you say that now but just wait until weird s*** starts to happen. The 2nd I heard this news I canceled my subscription. Out as much as I love swtor I do not have any faith that broadsword is going to handle this game correctly. This game is going to get very aggressive with P vp is going to get very aggressive With transactions and I'd expect that the game is going to Get very very toxic. Broadswords games that they handle are way different from swell tour and their communities are not the greatest at all.

[@livecarsonreaction]

This needs to be a copypasta on r/swtor

[@whaterverman479]

@@gulfcoastbeyblades2192 Good job, falling for fake hysteria. In the age of information any tiny thing that happens gets blown up in seconds…. I’m sure half of the team of over 200 is moving to broadsword with the game only to leave it in maintenance mode 😂

[@gulfcoastbeyblades2192]

@Whaterver Man you're not familiar with broadsword are you?

[@gulfcoastbeyblades2192]

@Whaterver Man I think that you and I have different takes on "maintenance mode". Perhaps I can explain a bit more clearly that way your tiny cynical brain can understand. What I mean by maintenance mode is I feel like broadsword is not going to make any real big meaningful changes. If they do any extra content it's probably gonna be because the team was already working on it and had stuff planned out and in various stages of production. That's why I said give it a year 2 tops and this game is gonna be really really different. Weird s*** is definitely gonna start to happen. What I can guarantee you is that as unbalanced as people complain about this game being especially during the ranked sessions. Just wait until the transition actually takes effect. You're going to see bugs glitches small patches in an attempt to smooth things over but it's just gonna start spiraling out of control. I feel like they're also going to make a really big move towards micro transactions. Everything that bioware and EA has done in regards to the cartel market has been 100% cosmetic. This game is not paid to win you can play it for free and you can win it for free . Broadsword is going to make a lot of small changes over time that are going to snowball and it's going to have a disastrous cascade like effect. It's not gonna happen right away but I've seen this before period I've seen different games different movies various types of intellectual property switch in between production company's developers publisher sewn and so forth. It never works the way that they publicly address it. I'm glad that you're still gonna play the game and maybe I'll be wrong who knows but I've been around a while I've seen this kind of s*** before and it 95% of the time it never works out well. I had a lot of good memories a s*** ton of good memories and I met a lot of cool people on that game but am I gonna continue giving my money to a company that I already do not have faith in based on their previous experience with other games? No I will not. I hope I'm wrong I hope that they understand what a magical gift that they have been handed this title but with things already being talked about in the Star Wars video game world I just don't have any faith that they're gonna do this right And because of that I'm not going to give them my money anymore. Maybe in a year or so I'll check in on it see how it's doing but I am expecting a very slow downward spiral And that's a change shame because I really liked what biaware was doing with this game. I feel like they were making a lot of awesome editions and a lot of changes in the right direction to make the game more accessible for everyone

[@Aikurisu]

Sounds like a blessing. Bioware's glory days have long been over. If Broadsword can channel what it once was, SWTOR may have a very bright future ahead for it. Well, that and I'd love it if they'd finally add more customization options for different races and add more. Maybe give twi'leks a purple skin tone option, fix their neck seam issue, etc...

[@vladislavkomarov6813]

I hope they'll bring more sanbox elements to the game and fix the economics...

[@whaterverman479]

@@Emberheart_No , the same team of devs is moving to Broadsword to continue content . Other games that are “just maintained” end up like that because they either aren’t generating good money or there is no story ideas left , neither is true for SWTOR , in fact SWTOR brings in more cash than almost every other mmo…. Don’t listen to the toxic dipshits who complain about everything and think every little change means the end . SWTOR is an amazing game all around . Period .

[@jobt1999]

Replay class story chapter soon TM

[@Kira110lol]

@@Emberheart_ Yes. All Broadsword games are just "There". Nothing new. They just exist. With a minimal population and maintenance schedule. And then there's this "whateverman" halfwit who keeps calling people toxic or idiots for pointing out that all Broadsword projects are stuff others dumped on them to keep on maintenance mode. It is the truth, he's a nutjob who just wanted to copy paste his insult on everyone.

[@SvendleBerries]

Something Ive wanted for a long time was sound being added to the preview window. Far too many times I bought a weapon or a mount and ended up not liking how it sounded lol Helmets and masks too. Would be nice to hear how the voice sounds before I buy it/wear it.

[@renuvatio9986]

To all of the LOTRO players remember when it switched from Turbine to Standing Stone games to me it was an improvement and expansions are still coming out so this news to me may be a good thing just need to wait

[@TheRogueJedii]

Honestly nothing can be worse than the skeleton that remains of old Bioware.

[@bbott137]

The reason why PVP is pretty good in this game is because of Broadsword/Mythic. They took a lot of ideas from Warhammer online, and tweaked some of the overpowered things like AOE's having no max players hit number, for damage or healing. More than 1 tank cant guard a person. Etc. The only change I wish they didn't make was they got rid of player collision. That made open world pvp amazing in warhammer online. You could fight outnumbered in chokepoints. It's a big reason Ilum didn't work at launch.

[@OneReallyGrumpyJill]

An ex-Bioware dev, I believe, already said this, but this could be big for Broadsword (if they can capitalize on it, which I hope they can) while proving to be a big loss for Bioware. Hey, look on the bright side tho, there is now a chance for 4th chapter: not a big one, but bigger than before

[@jasonkeenan4154]

My initial thought was that I picked a bad time to start playing, but really I have 7 more class stories to experience, which is more content than those who've been playing for years I suppose.

[@asclepius.dionysus]

100% my dude it's gonna take you a awhile to get through them haha. I wish I was back in your shoes......

[@xsXRevanXsx]

If this helps with the longevity of the game and actually makes the game even better. Then this is a good move. However, if this is only the case because they need bioware to shift towards creating other games and just kinda let SWTOR die, then this is a horrible move.

[@leebjorkman9063]

Idk, I think they would just neglect it until it died, rather than making a deal with Broadsword and keep paying ppl

[@BaeBunni]

If they wanted swtor to die in the near future than deals with companies and moving devs over wouldn't be the most cost effective way of doing it. If I had to guess EA probably wants to consolidate it's mmos into one place to cut down on costs of needing outside support coming to bioware from companies like Broadsword.

[@whaterverman479]

@@BaeBunniIm thinking maybe because broadsword is such a small studio they will demand a smaller cut $$$ than BioWare , which is good , the money can then actually go a long way. BioWare is working on some pretty hefty projects and was definitely milking the massive $$& SWTOR generates for other projects

[@soulward6334]

​@@whaterverman479 if SWOTOR was making the massive amount of money you think it was EA would not drop it.

[@itsprod.472]

BioWare is a big studio so one game isn’t holding them back at all. I think the game servers and the small team working on it are just taking resources that EA (their owners) would rather use on something else or the staff just wants to move on

[@ottlika]

"that studio is our last hope" "no...there is another..."

[@Korelon7]

Maintenance mode is finally here. Broadsword maintains old dead games

[@ragnnohab]

It's been here for nearly the entire lifespan of the game, this just makes it official

[@JynxedKoma]

Broadsword would instantly put the game into maintenance mode like their current two games. Anyone getting hopeful about the takeover is delusional.

[@zharyel9890]

True. Many of the people left playing SWTOR are hardcore fans (including me) and won't accept that our game is in a descend, even more so when it's handed over to a maintenance company.

[@o0Sazie0o]

I'd never play another star wars game, if something bad happened to Swtor. I love this game and most of the new games don't give the same gameplay and character customization. Reason why I never left Swtor was also because I could play with friends and family, it was the first star wars game I got to play and experience online. I ain't willing to give that up.

[@ofrund]

I now this is Hopium, but I hope that the new studio will focus more on the class content than broad. And if that is too much to ask, personally I would love to see some split in stories between the tech and force classes.

[@Akirkland24]

Just want to say that I don’t play any more but I still follow your updates and enjoy your guides. You are a true asset to this community and I’ve always been impressed with your content. Loved this game when it came out and I know when I dip my toe in to catch up on story your website will be my first stop.😊

[@whaterverman479]

Why don’t you play anymore

[@Akirkland24]

@@whaterverman479 Time and opportunity cost mostly. I have a kid now and constant disruptions and MMOs don't work well together. Plus lots of other games out there on my to-play list. I'll always love SWTOR though and will probably pop in to do a story run-through when I get the star wars itch.

[@JeffNyman]

As a former contract tester on this game, the main thing to note is the allocation. "70 to 80 people" are part of the "core development team." Does anyone feel like the content that has come out, however, reflects that? My guess is probably not. This is due to how Bioware Austin was a specific cost center within EA, which means they controlled their own budget. A large part of that budget was actually not developers, per se, but rather product managers. The ratio was unhealthy, to say the least, and that's a very large part of why EA is considering this. Bioware Austin routinely made projections they couldn't meet and those projections are what determined cost allocation per cost center. All of this has been in discussion for a bit, which is why the "year long celebration" was truncated and then basically forgotten. That's why the 64-bit project was fast-tracked because they needed to prove that the game was viable in a future context. So what this really is stemming from is that EA is attempting to dissolve Bioware Austin, which just so happens to impact SWTOR. Whether that's good or bad for SWTOR remains to be seen. But this is without doubt a show of lack of faith in Bioware Austin.

[@ragnnohab]

For what the game tries to pass off as "updates" and "expansions" I think most people expected the dev team to be closer to 20-30 people. It always makes me chuckle when people make it out like there's some rockstar team at BW:A that's being held back by that dang upper management, when it's far more like BW:A is where EA shuffles all the contractors and underperforming coders in hopes they quit of their own accord before they can damage something anticipated like Mass Effect or Dragon Age.

[@soulward6334]

Finally some realistic takes holy shit. Have people just been ignoring the history of this game and current gaming development trends across the industry? Well see what this 40 person team can do but really people with all these expectation needs to come back down to reality.

[@SignoftheMagi]

So a little context. When referring to a "team" for a game, that is more than just the artists, writers and devs. Public relations, promoting, management and support staff are also included. If the game switches studios, some of those positions will already be handled. The new studio will likely have additional staff as well, which means we may end up with a larger team than the current one. The current SWTOR team is a lot smaller than it once was, with a few positions being filled by ex-Anthem devs. The game is still amoney maker because EA isn't letting it go...why would they stop something that makes money? What this really feels like to me is EA seeing that Bioware as a company right now is shitting their own bed a bit too much, trying to refocus them back to competence, and giving another studio a chance at impressing them. EA is going to support (aka give money to) Boardsword if they do this. So...maybe this is a trial run for the company. To see if they are ready for bigger projects for EA. If they can expand and grow SWTOR, what else could they do?

[@whaterverman479]

⁠Im thinking maybe because broadsword is such a small studio they will demand a smaller cut $$$ than BioWare from EA , which is good , the money can then actually go a long way. BioWare is working on some pretty hefty projects and was definitely milking the big $$$ SWTOR generates for other projects

[@Kira110lol]

Broadsword already has a bad track history themselves... Now that you mention Anthem it's even worse. Anthem was the biggest flop in gaming history.

[@SignoftheMagi]

@@Kira110lol The problem with Anthem is pretty well documented. The management of the game was TERRIBLE. They forced the devs to work on something but refused to tell them what it was until the last year of development, and even then kept changing expectations. No dev team could have made that game a success.

[@Kira110lol]

@@SignoftheMagi You have a point. But having three companies with a crappy record work on SWTOR is not going to raise my morale just because some devs had an excuse. We don't know WHO from Anthem will come. It might not be just devs. This is all speculation, nothing official. For all we know it might also be the people who took bad decisions for Anthem. (That ontop of Broadsword and EA which speaks volumes for itself)

[@asclepius.dionysus]

​@@Kira110lolDoesn't even matter because this is swtor, not anthem. They're not making a new game, they're building atop one. They have different priorities plans too.

[@2laky150]

Maybe Broadsword will return to class specific story lines?? One can only hope!

[@remy090]

Honestly, it kind of feels like the game will finish all current planned development and move into maintenance mode. It's hard to say a really small studio, which was previously under a developer that went defunct, is gonna develop the game at a faster pace than we have now. Which is basically one big update a year. I hope I'm wrong. But I've played many MMOs over the years that have got to this stage, and I feel the writing is on the wall.

[@neilprice513]

I hope Broadsword make more regular story updates. Unlike Bioware Austin after KOTET when Bioware moved most of SWTOR's 400 to 600 employees to work on the doomed and rushed to F game Anthem. Then only moving a fraction of them back to work on SWTOR. The rest were moved to work on Mass Effect 5 and Dragon Age 4.

[@whaterverman479]

All the issues with SWTOR you can blame BioWare, they are a big company and a busy one at that . I think our money will finally be put to good use

[@Shadamehr100]

Oh man I'd love for more regular story updates ! Stopped playing before 7.0 because of that. Plan on coming back in a year or two when I hope a good quantity of story content has built up.

[@soulward6334]

​@@whaterverman479 what makes you think things will be different woth Broadsword? Hope? How do you known they won't reinvest the money some where else?

[@asclepius.dionysus]

​@@soulward6334 Even a former veteran swtor dev has said it would be a good thing.

[@thegame346]

They have to change their name to Braodsaber now though

[@necroticavalon5176]

Might be a good thing. Especially 2:27 'modernizations'. The game's engine is a 12 years old anachronism, designed to run smoothly on 32bit low-end systems of the TIME (MMOs have to be able to run on a potato). By now it's a dinosaur. Part of the reason bigger expansions don't happen anymore has to be that the engine itself is already stretched to and past the limit. Must be nightmare to keep everything compatible with the new hardware. The game needs a lot more then a few content expansions. It needs to be rebuilt in a new engine, and I'm guessing that's where Broadsword comes in.

[@rathchain3287]

TY for the update. I would consider it a Life Day miracle if Broadsword and/or EA gave the game a big push (or even a medium push) now, but certainly BW wasn't going to do it as they (rightly) focus on DA and ME franchises. I suppose a little bit of new hope is better than none;)

[@Kalbuir66]

I just hope people don't panic. The worst thing that could happen is if people stop subbing and spending money on the game before they even know what's really happening.

[@braveheart8612]

Hello Swtorista, yes i see the video of a friend, Envivius, about this news. I hope that the game continued. Good luck for the moving. May the force be with you too 🙂

[@CainCorvinus]

From what I was told, the original team currently working on swtor would remain, but would just get more funding under a different heel.

[@davidheiland1752]

I've been playing this game since launch and will always have a place in my heart. I'm feeling optimistic if this change of studio is true, it could mean better things for the fan community. I would love to see graphic updates, world explorations, and of course more story and quality of life updates!

[@alphatax2000]

Maybe Broadsword will be willing to make a SWTOR vanilla server...that's when the game was at it's best.

[@ryanglacier30]

It's most likely meant to continue development away from EA and the main hub of Bioware to divert some resources to bigger projects. Ultima online and DAOC are both in maintenance mode for quite a few years now. They might have plans for the time being but it doesn't bold well for the game further than I'd say 5 years.

[@Hardcover_Pilot]

Honestly at this point I count on nothing. My first MMO was City of Heroes. Paragon Studios had game content in active development and planned out for several years into the future, and they were taken completely by surprise when NCSoft told them they were pulling the plug on the game and firing the studio staff in its entirety.

[@Corbomite_Meatballs]

Agree with you on that. It was one of the more moronic decisions a game company made, and I refuse to touch anything related to NCSoft every again.

[@soulward6334]

Ncsoft is scum pretty much. Every product they release is greed ridden mediocrity. The free to play mobile market that rains money has destroyed the integrity of modern gaming . Nothing is made out of passion or for the consumers. Only goal is to make it rain cash.

[@CRYPTfromCATACOMBZ]

As i don't expect much improve, maybe that 'fresh blood' will bring us something new... Refreshing.... As i don't expect that much, only the time will show us....

[@joaovictorsantanna2817]

Hopefully they make the game run smoother on low-end laptops. Since the last update I can't play without stuttering every 5 seconds

[@Pandabarrel]

It would make sense with SWTOR being more popular that Broadsword would put more focus on it (both UO and DAOC barely have 20k active players put together compared to SWTOR's ~200k+). I would expect updates to slow down significantly though. It'll _probably_ be fine.

[@kensmith-sl6yt]

I think EA had given up on SWTOR a while ago. The new expansion felt like a patch.I expect Broad Sword just to do Galactic seasons and maintained the Cartel market. It could be worse. EA might have sold us to Gamigo.

[@The-Blue-Knight]

Let's hope for the best.

[@thebiggerboat3236]

If the guy running Broadsword led development of early swtor, we might see swtor actually have a return to form. Its pretty clear that the game shifts dramatically in direction, feel, and tone once you beat the class storylines and move on to expansions, and so much has changed about how the game functions that many things are almost unrecognizable now. (Sometimes for better, usually for worse. ) Would also be great to see swtor get ported from the hero engine onto something less god-awful and outdated. Might make the game look absolutely stunning.

[@deathr0w]

the game is done for sure now they should just drop the sub model for the final ride.

[@Ashamanknight]

This is definitely a maintenance mode move.

[@EventHorizon_Alex]

I'm cautiously optimistic about this announcement as this can be a good time to let a smaller studio take the wheel.

[@SakakiDash]

The Dark Age of Camelot crew made real epic games.

[@networkjunkie3953]

Wow! This is shocking news. I am a huge fan of Bioware's original projects, especially SWTOR. I have been playing SWTOR since before it was available for public beta testing. With that said, unfortunately it is sad news. As a business owner I am able to read between the lines. Yes, they stated they have plans after 7.4, but this is to mitigate any panic or massive drops in player base before the title is handed over. Broadsword is not necessarily a bad company, but it is just too small to properly handle and keep SWTOR at or above current player base and quality. This does sound like a cut back on EA's part and SWTOR shifting into a maintenance mode for probably the next couple of years at best. Just the fact that SWTOR will no longer be with "Bioware" there will be a major drop in support and player base for this game. Not being negative, just how business and consumers work. The quality of updates would not be on par with the current storytelling, cinematics, character voicing or any other major additions that this game has seen in the past. The budget just isn't there. All this is interesting considering the current business rumor recently is that George Lucas is looking to buy back Star Wars from Disney. This can have a major impact on all Star Wars licensing, especially when you consider that SWTOR had George's blessing when it was created/launched. I still play SWTOR today and regularly. SWTOR is still considered one of the top 10 MMOs to play today (or top 20 depending on which research report you read). Despite all this, I truly hope that SWTOR is around for a long time to come, but I would get those goals and stories completed sooner rather than later just in case. Good luck Star Wars: The Old Republic, thanks for the incredible memories.

[@darkadia6520]

As long it stays online in some way so I can go through the main stories when I want then I'm good.

[@Vidhur]

Transferring game to a new developer is NEVER a good idea, literally every game I've ever seen it happen to either turns into a cashgrab, dies before it gets to that point and/or then turns into a "sequel" where the old game dies and a horrific open beta for the new game that just turns into the cashgrab that the old one was meant to turn in to. I don't want to sound alarmist, but it's easy to crap on Bioware now, but it can always be worse. These kind of things are usually the beginning of the end, let's hope the gazillionth time is the charm and it won't come to that...

[@Extreme96PL]

Even if there is no new content, I hope the game will be online for many more years, there is a lot of great single player content in SWTOR, it would be a shame if this content would be unavailable.

[@BruceKarrde]

On one side it's a bummer that SWTOR will eventually enter maintenance mode. Even with patches planned, it is inevitable. However, the other (more positive) side is that they aren't shutting down the game. Unlike with SWG, you'll still be able to experience everything the game has to offer without having to resort to emulators.

[@GreenFalcon926]

As long as this doesn't cause any major problems, that's good. They may get more people working on the game, more money ect.

[@Beldea98]

Maybe the eternal lag from certain planets will dissapear. I still don't realise how in more than a decade we still have the same spots on same planets laggy

[@xXGeko1Xx]

Ugh! I feel like now the phrase “maintenance mode” is out there, that’s gonna be the inevitable thing. It’s never good when that phrase is thrown out there. That means the game would just slowly die out due to no updates. Maybe I’m looking too far ahead 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@Kalbuir66]

No where did anyone announce Maintenance mode. Just fools on the forums jumping to conclusions with next to zero information. You've got people saying the games Broadsword does now are in maintenance mode with no dev at all which isn't even true. People need to relax, continue to play the game like normal and wait to see what happens. This could all end up being a really good thing for the game. Also, no one moves dozens of devs to continue development of a game going into maintenance mode.

[@matthewmammothswine4395]

@@Kalbuir66 You're delusional if you think this isn't exactly what this is. Broadsword manages two games, Ultima Online and Dark Age of Camelot, both 20+ year old MMOs and both not developed by this studio. Its basically a retirement home for MMOs.

[@Kalbuir66]

@@matthewmammothswine4395 You realize you're comparing apples to oranges right? You realize that SWTOR still makes money right??? You realize that UO still has events right?????? You might need to look up the definition of Maintenance mode and then stop spreading doom and gloom before you even actually know what's going on.

[@ZexyKilla]

​@@Kalbuir66 I'm not sure if Broadsword will squeeze more content out of half of the SWTOR dev team.

[@whaterverman479]

⁠No , the same team of devs is moving to Broadsword to continue content . Other games that are “just maintained” end up like that because they either aren’t generating good money or there is no story ideas left , neither is true for SWTOR , in fact SWTOR brings in more cash than almost every other mmo…. Don’t listen to the toxic dipshits who complain about everything and think every little change means the end . SWTOR is an amazing game all around . Period .

[@Iceisnice1]

A surprise, to be sure, but a welcome one? Possibly?

[@colorfulhappyness]

If this gets channeled into bigger and better content, and fixes for core issues I'm all for it

[@matthewmammothswine4395]

its going into maintenance mode. All thats going to happen is no new content, only ways to milk the last few plays of as much money as possible.

[@khrowv]

​@@matthewmammothswine4395I think this is contradictory to what was just said in this video

[@whaterverman479]

@@matthewmammothswine4395​​⁠No , the same team of devs is moving to Broadsword to continue content . Other games that are “just maintained” end up like that because they either aren’t generating good money or there is no story ideas left , neither is true for SWTOR , in fact SWTOR brings in more cash than almost every other mmo…. Don’t listen to the toxic dipshits who complain about everything and think every little change means the end . SWTOR is an amazing game all around . Period . …

[@matthewmammothswine4395]

@@whaterverman479 bro put down the drugs. I promise you I have wayyy more hours than you in swtor. My main alone has over 10k hours played. This game is as good as dead.

[@chrisrawr6177]

@@matthewmammothswine4395 Swtor has been in maintenance mode for years, Broadsword is taking it to milking mode now.

[@phillmillem8163]

You made me see a silver line in all this changing developer issue. Thanks!

[@angryduck67]

i love old repablic star wars

[@christopherm.7585]

Thanks so much! Have appreciated your SWTOR vids for a long time! Kept me coming back to a galaxy far far away!

[@walkertalker3232]

Nice, I will wait a little bit more then start again with my light side sith warrior marauder

[@heromario2430]

There is no way in hell that swtor can do more content (story expansions at the same pace) when the team gets cut in half (80->40) with broadsword. However if broadsword team allows swtor to get creative freedom it might give quality updates but at a much slower pace. Now the question lies in this, how often will the cartel market update items? Same pace? Faster? Looks like EA is going to send Bioware Austin to the shadowrealm.

[@soulward6334]

This is the question. Do the consumers gamble their money hoping for it to be reinvested. The last few years have proven that to not be the case.

[@heromario2430]

@@soulward6334 And EA is still going to be the boss right? So all the investment from players should go to "them". Because if it goes to Sword at its current rate, they should have enough money to do expansions etc etc. But yea cant believe that the malgus story is still not dead after 10 years. And we might never see it be completed ever.

[@sw-gs]

Broadsword is company where MMO goes to die.

[@jacquesalas4294]

Just subbed so please keep the news coming looking forward to it. Thanks again 👍

[@Swtorista]

cheers! yeah some big news to come back to.

[@shadowofchaos41]

As long as the game doesn't die I will be happy

[@albertabdul-barrwang3494]

Glad that this move will help out SWTOR a lot. With Bioware failing again and again with Mass Effect: A and Anthem I think that a new fresh of hands and eyes will improve the game quite a bit!

[@Mediados]

I am glad, maybe they finally get to work on something.

[@Wolfways]

I played UO for years but was forced to quit twice. The first time was after an update that added sparkles to health potions that made people's game crash, even if the potion was used off screen. The dev response was "Dunno" and the game stayed in that state for years. The second time was when they decided to revert the graphics by removing the 3D client and only using the 2D client...which was horrible to look at. I went from loving the game to hating it 😥 I just came back to SWTOR recently (miffed that as an old subscriber I'm not preferred status) and I'm enjoying it. I hope nothing bad happens to it.

[@homergimpson2254]

more class specific story stuff would be great

[@FunkyMrChicken]

I hope I'm wrong, but I think the 64-bit update, and the promise of "Virtual Servers" like the Australian/Pacific trial may have been just so the game is sellable. Broadsword may have been willing to keep it going in Maintenance Mode, but only if it was "up-to-date" when it was purchased.

[@andrewtaylor940]

I'm not worried. Right now there is a huge marketspace for older MMO's and online games. They are found to be high ROI Turnkey Games as Service's with well established user bases. They run on a broad spectrum of hardware and have a decades worth of content. Plus have established brand names and IP. Its bad business sense to close one or place it in maintenance mode.

[@WBPayne]

They BETTER finish the storyline of this game

[@paulferry7791]

At this point I wish they would give a massive overhaul to the graphics engine. The graphics, though stunning in 2012, is really showing it's age in 2023. It really needs to be on par with the likes of Starfield.

[@StormWildSpace]

Definitely maintainace mode... guess i came back at the wrong time.

[@MixedCommunist]

It would be nice to have a new outlook on this game, but it will have a rocky switch I think

[@antonlindelof]

Please turn the music up i can't hear it

[@brokenthunder4163]

if theres one thing we can confirm is that SWTOR will not be going offline for a very very long time.

[@Audiotrocious]

I am cautiously optimistic.

[@atari1994]

Of course Keith is going to try to do damage control. When have they EVER said the truth on the forums? They lie CONSTANTLY. "We plan on communicating better". "We won't go so long between operation releases again" (was a 12 month timeline between release... only to be followed up by EIGHTEEN) This was Keith's first post ... since DECEMBER. The FACT that "story mode" R4 is completely and utterly overtuned and very few teams can beat it.... even casual HM prog team and they REFUSE to fix it... I have little hope this is good for the game.

[@ODST_Parker]

I don't know if this will eventually get me back into the game (left years ago due to lack of time and excessive monetization), but I will certainly be keeping an eye on what happens next. If I see the game getting a new life through this change, I'll finally come back and go through the stories I've missed since I left. If not, oh well, was nice while it lasted. SWTOR is one of those games I WISH I wanted to play more than I ever actually WANT to play it. Like, I just don't have the time to dedicate when I'm already so invested in other games, work, life, etc. Same with LOTRO, another favorite of mine I left years ago, and even Destiny to some extent, even though I'm mostly glad I left and haven't looked back since. Out of all of them, this is the one I'd love to revisit the most, but it's also the most time-consuming and the most filled to the brim with monetization that I couldn't stand anymore. Also, I've missed a ton of changes to not only story content, but also classes and mechanics. Don't know if I even CAN go back at this point.

[@-LamiaSage-]

I am worried about the future of SWTOR but let's hope

[@denalion6954]

Would anyone be happy with a new Star Wars MMO RPG? With modern graphics and gameplay but also good story? ( Just asking out of interest, I love SWTOR)

[@Alexander-ix2jp]

I'd love to see Star Wars Galaxies return tbh

[@RubyRoks]

This is interesting. If the deal goes through, i hope the portion of the team that stays with EA finds new projects, but realistically they're probably gonna be laid off. Their resumes should speak for themselves, but it's always a bummer to see. I'm not too worried about the game itself, just the team behind it.

[@Xanderlorian]

To be honest, I'm still a bit concerned about this

[@jacobruiter592]

I just hope maybe I can find all of the game files out in the wild to somehow play most of the game in an offline single player type manner if the game gets shut down.

[@javedshamim2924]

if the game gets a facelift and the love and support it deserves il resub in a heartbeat

[@eetuantola2519]

the content we are getting is coming out at a snail's pace. It's been almost 2 years since the 10th anniversairy and all we've gotten is 1 flashpoint and 1 hour of other story content. Compare that to what we got with any other expansion, it's more than lackluster. I have high hopes for the game if this deal goes through, honestly cant wait to see what the future holds.

[@lastcall9998]

How do you get more decoration crates from the new Voss Shrine flashpoint? Done it like 10 times story mode, but only the first time I got a decoration crate. The Access Terminal: Shrine of Silence only gives me the option to choose what difficulty, and none of them offer a deco crate. Last boss of the Flashpoint doesn't give a deco crate either... I understand that random drops from trash mobs within the Flashpoint give decos sometimes.

[@doctordakotascorpio7047]

at least they have future update plans for this game. but kinda worried for this game's Future now and how it's gonna be like after hearing this

[@sebastianrivero8480]

SWTOR is constantly on the top100 best selling products on steam, and thats the alternative client

[@choo22choo]

Let's hope this is a good thing for SWTOR, and that subscription would be 78 a year not every 6 months. Then they would keep more players subed

[@Tylantia]

People forgetting budgets exist, this game had little to start with, even less inc.. let that sink in.