After living through the death of Asheron's Call 2, Star Wars Galaxies, Asheron's Call, and Asheron's Call 2 for a second time, I can't help but feel like logging into these forums is exactly how it felt logging into those forums the year or so before they finally admitted that the end was coming.

The biggest thing that stands out in all of these cases is the Devs' vague promise of content that is coming one day while any changes that do make it into production leave the players wondering, "you spent time on that?".

I keep checking the Dev Tracker every couple of weeks hoping to see some reason for me to renew my subscription, but all I see is an occasional money-grab cartel market drop or a "please log-in and we will give you an achievement" event.

Is there something I'm not seeing here? I don't feel like this game would necessarily shut down any time soon, but is this as good as its going to get?

Last week, I would have agreed with you, but we now have our next update on PTS (the test server), and it's rather expansive. I suggest you take a look at the test server forum here - it may not be what you want, but it's like adding in an entirely new way to PvP imo...far larger than just a new house.

So yes...there does seem to be hope...with a bit of excitement from me as well

They need to bring more people into this game. Content, marketing, you name it. I had to drop my subscription because I could not find a single guild on my server (Star Forge) that was large, active, and engaging enough to suit my fancy. Most guilds are sleepy with the added dose of a prog team that isolates itself from the rest of the guild.

I am a good player that has been unable to find a quality raiding team in an active guild since January. (I had to leave due to our team splitting apart as some of our key members went to play other games after having lost interest in SWTOR.)

Where as in World of Warcraft, I am being invited to Mythics even though I am a newb at that game, by a guild that spam invited me. They do all sorts of stuff to boot too, and they have over 9000 members in their Discord.

If this isn't a good measure as to how poorly SWTOR is doing right now then I don't know what is.

And to think I white-knighted this game!

I hope Bioware can turn things around.

Simple answer, I don't think so.

I'm glad they are doing something for PVP, but since it's all private, the new strong hold is just going to cut into the already slim queues. If they had done this 3 years ago, it might have helped. Now, I doubt it.

I hate PVP< so it doesn't affect me either way.

I have raided on three toons since 5 dropped. None of them are in full 248. My raid team is now down to 5 regular members (another let their sub lapse.) The raid team is the only reason I've logged into this game since 4 dropped. It will take a miracle for anything to make this game go again, and their method of server consolidation says they don't expect to see the game grow beyond the population at the time of consolidation. Anyone with a brain can see the population has been declining since. (If it wasn't, they'd have left the server population info on the web site.)

I'll give my team a couple weeks, but if nothing improves, I'm removing my payment info. After that I'll have another 60 days from a code I used then I too will be gone and I expect my wife will be done well before that.

You know one of the biggest give aways for me that this game is in the end of its life cycle? The forums!

I've been through the ends of all those game you listed, and then some. And there is common theme amongst all of them. Which is why you've been getting the feeling that you have been through this before. It is that the main forum has died(dying). The first page of this forum was constantly in flux with new post/responses, for years. Heck, even the first 3 pages were in flux, and new post would often get quickly buried if they were not responded to quickly enough. Now though, that is no longer the case. There are now post that will literally sit on the main page for days.......DAYS!!!

The 6.0 expansion is a nice reprieve, but it was already being worked prior to the downward spiral. So it's not surprising that they would use it to take us into the the Anthem launch, if that rumor of our future is to be believed. I honestly think IT IS the truth though, and the current content release cadence and the 6.0 release date line up perfectly with that rumor.

I love this game, but the dead forums are the canary in the coal mine.

You know one of the biggest give aways for me that this game is in the end of its life cycle? The forums!

 

I've been through the ends of all those game you listed, and then some. And there is common theme amongst all of them. Which is why you've been getting the feeling that you have been through this before. It is that the main forum has died(dying). The first page of this forum was constantly in flux with new post/responses, for years. Heck, even the first 3 pages were in flux, and new post would often get quickly buried if they were not responded to quickly enough. Now though, that is no longer the case. There are now post that will literally sit on the main page for days.......DAYS!!!

 

The 6.0 expansion is a nice reprieve, but it was already being worked prior to the downward spiral. So it's not surprising that they would use it to take us into the the Anthem launch, if that rumor of our future is to be believed. I honestly think IT IS the truth though, and the current content release cadence and the 6.0 release date line up perfectly with that rumor.

 

I love this game, but the dead forums are the canary in the coal mine.

In B4 all the “forum activity isn’t reflective of player base levels” and the like nonsense. Just like “fleet activity declines aren't reflective of game activity” drivel. I have some faint optimism for the new SH and the ever-distant 6.0. But frankly, i haven't played since the conquest bork. I've logged in, waited a while for no queues to pop. Then logged out a few times though. Now I'm mostly on to other things these days - little motovation to even log in. IMO this recent decline is related directly to conquest nerfs and devs stubborness on the issue. Ppl can only be asked to take so much. Not sure if it's resolvable at thiis point. I hope so...

In B4 all the “forum activity isn’t reflective of player base levels” and the like nonsense. Just like “fleet activity declines aren't reflective of game activity” drivel. I have some faint optimism for the new SH and the ever-distant 6.0. But frankly, i haven't played since the conquest bork. I've logged in, waited a while for no queues to pop. Then logged out a few times though. Now I'm mostly on to other things these days - little motovation to even log in. IMO this recent decline is related directly to conquest nerfs and devs stubborness on the issue. Ppl can only be asked to take so much. Not sure if it's resolvable at thiis point. I hope so...

The latest decline, yes. But the biggest decline I’ve seen in the game (not including post launch), was when they introduced 5.0.

Since then, that slippery slip has gotten steeper each time they mess up something. Conquest was just the latest in a long line of borked decision and poorly thought out implimentations and fixes.

5.9.2 looks good if you’re into pvp and Rishi SH, but if they mess that up, I have fears that there won’t be a 6.0.

Last week, I would have agreed with you, but we now have our next update on PTS (the test server), and it's rather expansive. I suggest you take a look at the test server forum here - it may not be what you want, but it's like adding in an entirely new way to PvP imo...far larger than just a new house.

 

So yes...there does seem to be hope...with a bit of excitement from me as well

The changes to warzones are significant from what I can tell but it's still the same warzones. I think that's a good direction in the sense of making what's in the game better but not a matter of adding new content. The new SH can have some potential for PvP fun and a great RP opportunity as well, but of course that one comes at a cost as it is unwise not to unlock the initial room with CC and decorations, well, we know about that. It's also not a new area, so again a reuse of existing stuff from the game.

That's not to say it's a bad update. I think it's good what they're doing. But when it comes to the question about new content and it being as good as it gets, I'd say that's true.

I suspect that 6.0 will also largely be used to make some changes to the existing game and limited new content. But that might be the best approach considering their available resources.

It's true that 5.0 and Galactic Command in particular did a lot of damage to the game at a time it really couldn't use it. So the server merges came after all. In the end though, new content is at a trickle and will remain so. The best thing is to enjoy the game for what it is and not try to hang on for new content.

Personally I quit because I couldn't enjoy what the game is any more. I admit that these PvP changes were one of the things that were on my list, but the issue of hook placement and skewed distribution of decorations is an issue that hasn't been resolved and is unlikely to be. The issue of GC that in spite of many changes is still leaving the game with a convoluted system that made everything in the game bland and punishes people for doing harder content in essence is another. And well the story wasn't my favourite but the last arc via the FPs was already better but they need to get back (in my view) to having explorable planets where the story is told and not instanced story missions or FPs.

That's why I'm not holding my breath because I doubt they will fix the reward system enough to make playing the game rewarding and add explorable planets like the vanilla where your main story line happens and add a dailies area in there as well and side quests and a planetary arc and a ton of additions to craftable decorations in various colour combinations.

You see, in other games that feels like a pretty light expansion, but over here this already feels like I'm asking too much.

My stance therefore is that BioWare are doing things to make this game work for a smaller player base and I think recently they've made more good choices. But do not expect too much of new content. If the game hadn't been ruined for me by the elements I mentioned above I'd still be playing this game because in essence it's a good game and even though I've been angry at various things they did, I could find a way generally to make it work.

Now I can't. I also don't expect BioWare to do me any favours, but that's why the game no longer works for me personally.

If you can still enjoy the game as it is, that's great because I think that's the only way to do so. The game is too small for big content updates. Sorry, the game's not dead but it's a very small player base and the game is being adapted to that since last year. So that's something I think people should be grateful to Keith for. The initial panic reaction to make lots of group content after the group players mostly left didn't make a lot of sense in retrospect, but for once they saw early on it wasn't working and bit the bullet by doing server merges and using resources to change the game so that a smaller player base could still enjoy it.

It won't bring me back and I mentioned what it would take for me to reconsider that position, but I really don't think I'll get all of those things and for me that's the short list of minimum requirements. But even though I may not be getting what I would want, I do have to say that I think that BioWare are actually doing a pretty good job right now with the direction they have taken and I think that if you still enjoy the game, that should be encouraging to you.

The latest decline, yes. But the biggest decline I’ve seen in the game (not including post launch), was when they introduced 5.0.

Since then, that slippery slip has gotten steeper each time they mess up something. Conquest was just the latest in a long line of borked decision and poorly thought out implimentations and fixes.

5.9.2 looks good if you’re into pvp and Rishi SH, but if they mess that up, I have fears that there won’t be a 6.0.

The main problem in 5.0 was releasing nearly all content at once. They gave in when people told them that they don't want to wait a month for a few hours content. A funny fact is that "suprisignly" it takes far more than 1-2 days to make a good content of 1 hour, but since they had to rush the whole story at once while still launching 5.0 at the original intended time, these chapters were rushed. You can see quite a few instances in which the KOTET chapters are less thoroughly made than the KOFTE ones.

They should have kept the 4.0 formula, a chapter per month + a decent 1 or 2 alliance alerts in which you complete a quest to get a new/old companion. They should not rush content to satisfy impatience. I would have though ME Andromeda would have been enough of an example that lack of quality is always worse than a delayed release.

Why? Because a delayed release means that people might take breaks (maybe unsub too) only to come back (and resub) for each release because the releases are good. But a bad release or a poorly designed one means there will never be a better release, so disappointed people will just leave, and this time, without a clear intent to return. [same with ME Andromeda, if you delayed the release to make it as good as the old series or better I would have bought it later than intended, now I will never buy it]

My message to the devs it: in your next serious updates, don't rush thinks to meet deadlines, get the best results possible then release. People might leave for a while for lack of content, but as long as they don't get something they don't like, they are likely to return when the good stuff eventually do come.

But frankly, i haven't played since the conquest bork. I've logged in, waited a while for no queues to pop. Then logged out a few times though. Now I'm mostly on to other things these days - little motovation to even log in. IMO this recent decline is related directly to conquest nerfs and devs stubborness on the issue.

The biggest issue with this game has been massive changes often done to facets of the game no one complained about, or minimally.

No one complained about the WZ comms gearing system yet they gutted it with the arrival of CXP. They ended up making multiple changes to the new CXP to make it more alt-friendly yet still to this day it's reviled by those who enjoyed the older alt-friendly gearing system that also allowed far more customization for PVP.

Who complained about conquest? I didn't know anyone that did... They gutted it and replaced it with a vastly grindier system and had to make multiple changes which still did not appease the ones who enjoyed it prior to the changes the most.

In both of these substantial changes to the game, people really were pissed off and felt betrayed, and subsequentially left the game when they felt their voices were ignored and the future changes to the changes were insufficient.

What comes to my mind is what could have been achieved had all this energy and dev work been put into other areas, like class balance, class development, new FPs, new OPs, new content including stories.

I have to give them credit where I think it is due with all this being said.

These new PVP changes have good intent, and they have been very transparent especially compared to the last couple years of surprise changes they have made which were unfavorably received. I have some hope that they are going to get this one right with the PVP focus especially with all the engaging dialogue regarding possible changes. They even put the PTS up which they didn't have to do.

All things come to an end, all games eventually die. This one has been quite active for many years though, and it still has a pretty solid following even in it's present iteration, flaws and all.

Asking "is there hope" is a redundant question though, of course there's hope... but that doesn't stop the inevitable from happening. I find these threads annoying because for me they come off as written by someone that is obsessed with the end coming.

Personally I prefer crossing bridges when I get to them, not fretting about if and when the bridge comes when it's not yet in sight.

TL;DR

Enjoy the ride while it's here, and stop worrying about "hope."

Rebellions are built on hope -

(When you watch it, just imagine she’s talking about EA instead of the empire)

There were some nice points mentioned already in the other posts, but I just wanted to say that there is indeed hope. As long as there is a Star Wars label on top of the page this game can still do good.

Having said that there are many mistakes the studio has done, even at launch already, yet its nothing that cannot be fixed. Content is one thing, but the game engine is another. It is becoming more and more obvious that the engine is handling the game less and less. With all the addons that we are getting more and more bugs are appearing. This clearly shows that the engine will reach its limits one day when they just cant add stuff to the game.

The game will then be at a stale mate where EA will have to decide on what to do, whether to go into the engine swaping attempt or shut down in order to make a new game, cause the SW brand just needs to have an MMORPG game on the market.

As for me I said it many times before I love this game and will keep on login in until the servers shutdown, but yeah, it will be sad if there will be less and less players in the game.

If you're looking for new content then Swtor may not longer be the place for you. However, it has it's niche in the MMO industry. No other game compares to it's unique cutscene story telling, visual graphics style, and free content. Even after playing since beta, i'm still finding new things to do. Livelihood of the game is not judged by the population on fleet.

I feels for ya, man I survived the pre-cu/nge SWG disaster. So i can relate to having my heart broken. Though, in retrospect it taught me a great lesson...anticipate heart break and you'll never be disappointed!

In B4 all the “forum activity isn’t reflective of player base levels” and the like nonsense. Just like “fleet activity declines aren't reflective of game activity” drivel. I have some faint optimism for the new SH and the ever-distant 6.0. But frankly, i haven't played since the conquest bork. I've logged in, waited a while for no queues to pop. Then logged out a few times though. Now I'm mostly on to other things these days - little motovation to even log in. IMO this recent decline is related directly to conquest nerfs and devs stubborness on the issue. Ppl can only be asked to take so much. Not sure if it's resolvable at thiis point. I hope so...

Between 5.0, 2017's summer of nerfs, and Conquest, Keith has done a number on what remained of his players...and he's done nothing to earn any of them back.

I'm glad they are doing something for PVP, but since it's all private, the new strong hold is just going to cut into the already slim queues. If they had done this 3 years ago, it might have helped. Now, I doubt it.

That's a good point Dan...one I hadn't even considered yet. It will certainly have an impact at times, but I don't believe it's going to be something players go to full time vs. WZs...I enjoy playing with my guild, not against them.

SNIP...

Is there something I'm not seeing here? I don't feel like this game would necessarily shut down any time soon, but is this as good as its going to get?

Sadly, you haven't missed anything.

swtor doesn't have anything spectacular going on to retain gamers and while it's great to see PVP get a bit of focus. PVP is usually whats tacked on to a larger patch to the game. Not the singular focus because PVP is a lesser bit of played content and usually a smaller percent of the player base that gets into it.

There is little to retain gamers going on in swtor and it's not because it summer. It's because bioware is doing very little thats worth sticking around for. Life blood of an MMO is new content and content worth repeating. bioware has made sure swtor has very little of either.

So in the end, you didn't miss anything. swtor just doesn't have much going on in game or on the forums. It's not shutting down anytime soon because bioware makes sure the cash shop is well stocked and updated but were not really in a good place either so. Is there hope? Not much of at all.

I'm glad they are doing something for PVP, but since it's all private, the new strong hold is just going to cut into the already slim queues. If they had done this 3 years ago, it might have helped. Now, I doubt it.

That's a good point Dan...one I hadn't even considered yet. It will certainly have an impact at times, but I don't believe it's going to be something players go to full time vs. WZs...I enjoy playing with my guild, not against them.

I think there will still be people who queue to get rewards/weeklies/conquest. I do not think the PvP Stronghold will cut into that so much that it will replace it. That's my opinion anyway.

In answer to the OP: I think the sad truth is that YES, this is as good as it is going to get. Gone are the days of big expansions, explorable planets, reputations to earn, unique story lines to play (even if it was just one for Empire and one for Republic), reasons to repeat old content (RIP Conquest), repeating old content knowing you had to just get through these few months and then something big was on the horizon, etc.

The changes that they are making to PvP are just that - changes. They mentioned the only part of this that would have been "new content" - a new huttball map - in the summer road map, and not another word has been spoken about it. Granted, that road map was to last through September, so mention of it might happen after the next patch with the Rishi Stronghold (which I've seen VERY mixed reviews for) and the PvP Matchmaking changes (which I've seen most feedback from the PTS wondering if this is even working at all). But due to the feedback I've mentioned reading in parenthesis I have a strong feeling that like everything else they do, the PvP changes will need serious help, and they will spend all of the time they might have used to develop something actually NEW fixing their system tweaks until they are satisfied that they have made it all better (even if they really haven't... again I'm looking at you, Conquest).

I never used to be so negative about this game, and I guess right now I'm not really trying to be negative... it's just that after being here and seeing how things have gone, getting my hopes up is not something I'm willing to let myself do anymore. It has never once paid off or even matched any semblance of anticipation that I've held when they talk about what they planned to do with this game. Mainly because they change their minds and have to cut things out, or they execute so poorly that it is actually worse off than it was before they touched it (gearing system/CXP, Conquest, and I fear next is PvP).

I think this game has become only for those who have not played it before, or left for a very long time and have come back to find a decent amount of "new" content to play through for the time being. 4+ years of content missed will at least be worthy of a month's sub, maybe even two. Or, if you are someone who is completely brand new, there are 8 really enjoyable class stories and lots of other content from back when this game used to do that kind of thing to enjoy. The main problem is that they don't do that anymore, and only those who haven't done it to death can really enjoy it now. But once they have done that, they will be in the boat with the rest of us, wishing SWTOR had lived up to it's potential or even to what it used to be 5 or 6 years ago.

You are right though, it's not going anywhere. As long as the Cartel Market and those who love to play space barbie and house decorator Sims are willing to open their wallets, the game will still be around until their exclusivity contract runs out. No amount of outrage over changes or lack of content will supersede the open wallet factor in terms of keeping the lights on around here... even if nobody is really home.

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Of course there is hope, those who say otherwise are being negative nancies.

We have a new patch coming to adjust some pvp issues, and they have already confirmed the next expansion.

No, it isnt moving fast enough for any of us im sure, but it is moving. This proves the game still has a roadmap and is still being actively developed, thus, there is hope.

I had my concerns prior to this last month and the announcements that have been made, but it would seem things are looking better now.

After just watching

, I have to say that my hope is gone. Casey appears a defeated man who has lost all passion for the Star Wars name. It fills in missing pieces for me and explains a bit better the state of the current game and lack of any attention from Bioware. Oh well...

Yeah, he came across as not wanting to do another SW game because he would prefer to make another mass effect.

You could see him try and be diplomatic about the SW question, he didn’t want to say no, but he clearly wasn’t keen.

He also confirmed that they’d basically stripped most of the studio’s resources to put them all on Anthem. Part of me really wants Anthem to fail, but I know if it does, then they’ll probably just shut Bioware Austin and there goes swtor too.

After just watching

, I have to say that my hope is gone. Casey appears a defeated man who has lost all passion for the Star Wars name. It fills in missing pieces for me and explains a bit better the state of the current game and lack of any attention from Bioware. Oh well...

Thanks for linking the interview. I interpreted it differently. The only thing he said about SWTOR was "there are lots of people playing."

With respect to new Star Wars games, I agree he splashed cold water on that but given that their license expires in a few years, why would they commit to a new one? He did confirm that the majority of resources are going into Anthem and they "have to get it right" but I don't think that's new information.

More broadly, I agree (yet again) with pretty much everything Penny Ann said. The game will trundle along with its niche small set of players, who can sustain the game through CM purchases a la Space Barbie and Stronghold Sims.

My guess is 6.0 will see a natural uptick in players for a short period and stabilize to roughly current levels. This should not be unexpected. I don't really see it attracting a whole new tranche of players, though. I also think they are shooting themselves in the foot with the current Conquest changes because it discourages alts for a set of the playerbase. /shrug

With respect to PvP, I'm actually skeptical on matchmaking. I have yet to see a MMORPG (even WoW) do a good job of getting it right because you run into the inherent dilemma of 'how long do you keep people in queue vs. synchronizing their rating.'

Dasty

Actually Flop, I'm really NOT trying to be a "negative nancy" at all. I loved this game, especially in it's "heyday". I have lots of good memories of it. Not trying to be negative, but being honest about my expectations and realistic about the fact that the way they used to develop the game is gone.

It just is what it is.

Does that mean people shouldn't play? Nope, it doesn't mean that at all. It has meant that I don't play anymore, or support the game like I used to with monthly wads of cash (beyond sub, absolutely). But that's a personal choice. Just like having hope (with or without reason to do so).

If you want to keep the lights on for SWTOR, by all means! I wish you guys well and hope it gives you something to smile about when you look back on it in years to come. But when asked, I had to be honest. It's just my opinion, but I see very little to be hopeful about in SWTOR other than being hopeful that it isn't shutting down tomorrow. I think that's the only safe thing to really hope for here anymore.

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Thanks for linking the interview. I interpreted it differently. The only thing he said about SWTOR was "there are lots of people playing."

 

With respect to new Star Wars games, I agree he splashed cold water on that but given that their license expires in a few years, why would they commit to a new one? He did confirm that the majority of resources are going into Anthem and they "have to get it right" but I don't think that's new information.

 

More broadly, I agree (yet again) with pretty much everything Penny Ann said. The game will trundle along with its niche small set of players, who can sustain the game through CM purchases a la Space Barbie and Stronghold Sims.

 

My guess is 6.0 will see a natural uptick in players for a short period and stabilize to roughly current levels. This should not be unexpected. I don't really see it attracting a whole new tranche of players, though. I also think they are shooting themselves in the foot with the current Conquest changes because it discourages alts for a set of the playerbase. /shrug

 

With respect to PvP, I'm actually skeptical on matchmaking. I have yet to see a MMORPG (even WoW) do a good job of getting it right because you run into the inherent dilemma of 'how long do you keep people in queue vs. synchronizing their rating.'

 

Dasty

Great minds think alike. <3

I will likely come back to check out 6.0 if it ever happens also. But I would have still been playing the game while waiting for 6.0 and paying a monthly sub plus likely some cartel coins here and there in days between expansions past. The difference is, this time I'm nowhere to be found in SWTOR because the only things left for me to do have been made unenjoyable in the name of "fixing" it.

Conquest really gets harped on a lot, but I think the smashing of alt play in Conquest and the opposite of intention change making it so that you will always, 100% see the same 3 names at the top of the planet boards every single week are legitimate complaints that Bioware is suffering the consequences of being deaf, blind, and dumb to feedback over. "Total Galactic War" week used to be fun. Remember fun? Challenging yourself and your guild to rise to bigger, badder competition and potential to win was exciting. Now, it's all about who can get the conquest points reset bug to work the most repeatably. BLAH.

I know it all sounds negative, but it isn't meant to discourage so much as it's meant to just give an accurate snapshot from my own point of view. I did really love this game, so it's hard to look through that lens... but there it is.

PS - And Yes! THANK YOU TUX for linking that interview. It pretty much confirmed what I sensed has been going on with Bioware and development of this game and cements the future at the very least until 2019 and Anthem's release. This is indeed what we are getting and we should all know what to expect (nothing more than we are getting currently, even if that's not "nothing at all").

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This reads like a troll thread... peddling the ever popular "game is going to be shuttered" meme. Putting in the form of some lurid question.. does not change that fact. Hope is an emotional based approach to any topic, and has no objective merit.

Will SWTOR ever be an 800 lb gorilla in the MMO market? NOPE.... there is room for one in a market like MMOs.. and WoW still claims the title.

Will it close soon? No signs of that at all... no matter what chicken little role play is peddled in the forum.

Will it close someday? Absolutely.. that is the nature of MMOs when they decline to unsustainable levels. However, note that unsustainable levels in an MMO is pretty small (evidence: DAoC... still plugging along even though it is probably smaller active subscriber base then all the shuttered MMOs presented by the OP when they shuttered in the first post.

Does the game have issues that are impacting retention of players? Absolutely... then again.. every MMO that is not fresh out of the gate does as well.. even WoW.

Does the game meet every players want/demand list of content and features? Nope.. never has.. and for more than 6 years now... we have seen this same sort of thread trolling about the pending doom of the game.

Basically.. if you like the game.. play the game. If do not like the game... why are you playing, much less posting in the forum? The servers are active... and the only players that seem to be suffering are those that are guildless, friendless, and rely on random pops in GF or conducting of endless LFG spam in Fleet. In which case... find and invest yourself in a good stable guild (not just any guild, because a lot of them are and have been spurious creations by largely uncommitted players)... but one that is actually stable and most likely consists of a lot of players that have played MMOs for years together...perhaps even playing actively on multiple MMOs at one time.

Thanks for linking the interview. I interpreted it differently. The only thing he said about SWTOR was "there are lots of people playing."

 

With respect to new Star Wars games, I agree he splashed cold water on that but given that their license expires in a few years, why would they commit to a new one? He did confirm that the majority of resources are going into Anthem and they "have to get it right" but I don't think that's new information.

 

More broadly, I agree (yet again) with pretty much everything Penny Ann said. The game will trundle along with its niche small set of players, who can sustain the game through CM purchases a la Space Barbie and Stronghold Sims.

 

My guess is 6.0 will see a natural uptick in players for a short period and stabilize to roughly current levels. This should not be unexpected. I don't really see it attracting a whole new tranche of players, though. I also think they are shooting themselves in the foot with the current Conquest changes because it discourages alts for a set of the playerbase. /shrug

 

With respect to PvP, I'm actually skeptical on matchmaking. I have yet to see a MMORPG (even WoW) do a good job of getting it right because you run into the inherent dilemma of 'how long do you keep people in queue vs. synchronizing their rating.'

 

Dasty

^^ Accurate assessment.

Yeah, he came across as not wanting to do another SW game because he would prefer to make another mass effect.

You could see him try and be diplomatic about the SW question, he didn’t want to say no, but he clearly wasn’t keen.

 

He also confirmed that they’d basically stripped most of the studio’s resources to put them all on Anthem. Part of me really wants Anthem to fail, but I know if it does, then they’ll probably just shut Bioware Austin and there goes swtor too.

I agree with your take on the interview. And just reading the inane comments attached to the video is quite revealing as to the generally vile nature of the player base.

The reality is that the SW IP has a very rabid fan base.. who as we can see from recent militant revulsion about the last couple of movies, think they own the IP.. not Disney. Heck... some are even trying to crowd fund a reboot of episode 8... LMAO. If I were the studio (any studio really) ... I would not want to invest heavily in any new SW titles either... most especially not an MMO... but even single player games will just get trolled by the masses over any sleight they perceive in how the IP is handled in a game context.

From a practical point of view... if I owned a studio like Bioware, I would want to work on titles where I have the most creative freedom to work with, and the least rabid of audiences. Even the Dragon Age fans troll the studio in depth with any new release... so I would not work on sequels... but rather new avenues of IP and adventure, where there is no fan base that thinks they personally own the IP and as such can troll and criticize a studio over every little nit that somehow offends them.