Star Wars MMORPG announced, future console version eyed

BioWare and LucasArts today officially announced the long-rumored story-based MMORPG for PC called Star Wars: The Old Republic. It was not long before an EA exec began talk of creating a console version.

MMORPG blog today called it "the worst-kept secret in the video game industry," because the project has been known since last year, but has not been officially announced until now.

The game's predecessors, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, and its sequel The Sith Lords were first released on the Xbox home video game console and then followed by versions for Windows. The Old Republic differs in that it was announced today as "a story-driven massively multiplayer online PC game."

Speaking to Eurogamer today, however, EA executive Frank Gibeau said his company is already looking at bringing BioWare and LucasArts' MMO to home video game consoles. Currently, he says EA is looking at the logistical aspects of building a console MMO, and that once research is complete, they will decide between their Star Wars and Warhammer properties.

"For a long time, we've long wanted to return to the franchise in a grand way, and we felt that the best setting for it was an online world that would allow millions of people to participate in the experience together," said LucasArts President Darrell Rodriguez. "We knew that the developer capable of working with us to deliver an engrossing story with a fully-realized online world was BioWare."

BioWare emphasizes the story aspect of the game, saying it's not just another combat, exploration, and grinding MMO. Like its forerunners, the game follows the player down a path toward the light or dark sides of the Force based upon interactions with other characters and choices made. Star Wars: The Old Republic still has no release date.