It seems as if the only MMO that isn’t free to play is World of Warcraft these days.  Bioware threw huge piles of money into the development and advertising of Star Wars: The Old Republic, but it turns out that even with a brand like Star Wars, they just didn’t get the amount of subscribers they wanted.  As a result, Bioware has announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic is officially free to play this fall.

Going free to play means that all players will have access to every character class and will be able to reach level 50.  The higher end-game content and features however, will have to be paid for.

Bioware doesn’t want to leave the faithful subscribers who stuck with The Old Republic out to dry, so people who paid will receive a new in-game currency called Cartel Coins for every month they were subscribed.  Features that will be available to purchase with Cartel Coins will be things like “customizable gear and convenience features.”  In addition, the game will go for $14.99 starting this August.

Although I’m not much an MMO guy, this news has definitely piqued my interest in The Old Republic.

At this point, it would seem crazy for any developer to release a new MMO with the traditional monthly subscription model.  If names like Bioware and Star Wars can’t get people to subscribe, what on Earth will?