I think they are aiming for late 2010 After the customary delays I think it will be out in May '11. No way in hell it will make it out in '09. EA already said TOR will lose money in '09. The reason is, because its in development.
Now obviously they didn't start diving in setting up worlds on Aug '06, but from the first read, it would seem that project building and trouble shooting can be done on the fly using this setup....which would lead me to continue to believe that this is not going to follow the 'traditional dev cycle' that almost eveyone is quoting as scripture. Just sayin'.
Whenever it does come out, and I hope it's sooner rather than later, its launch date will almost inevitably be tied to a film or TV series or product launch by Lucas Arts. LA is crazy about 'marketing synergy' however idiotic it turns out to be. We should start looking at LA's own launch schedules for 2009 and 2010 for clues as to the potential parallel launch of SWTOR.
My guess; Never; LA demaned to much of the cake and to many hands on the wheel and to many changes in late developemt. Bioware announces; We did not want to impliment orcs and elves.
Correction: the launch date will be announced as being in Autumn 2010 to meet some spurious LA deadline. That date will be moved to December and then finally to February 2011. At that time, it will be announced that this is not a launch but a beta test.
I am becoming increasingly suspicious that you all may be insane. I guess speculation is fun though. As for the topic itself there have been two slips made, the first was the accidental slip of a tanative June 09 date for Beta Testing and a tentative release in Q1 2010. These could just be miscommunication and not actual slips though, BioWare is good at keeping its secrets. Now we all know BioWare likes to put out a good product and wants things finished before release and that they also like to wait until the last moment to announce things. I believe they are polishing up the game now and releasing the informaiton in parts. If you go to their site its pretty clear what progress is being made as far as finishing a certain world or class. You can also sort of glean a timeline from the timelines they've set for the release of the background story (in comic form no less) and the release of each world and class and you can see they are moving very quickly. This means they are polishing things off and the game is being made ready for launch in the vicinity of a year. I would expect we see something in the next few months where they will be testing their servers in some fashion if it's not an outright beta. That testing will then determine a release date I'm sure rather than some arbitrary date before they know what they can handle. This is a highly anticipated game and BioWare knows that fact, BioWare will take every precaution to make sure they can handle the huge server loads at launch. If I were a beting man I would probably wager on Q1-Q2 of 2010 for a release date pending there are no catastrophies.
Whenever it does come out, and I hope it's sooner rather than later, its launch date will almost inevitably be tied to a film or TV series or product launch by Lucas Arts. LA is crazy about 'marketing synergy' however idiotic it turns out to be. We should start looking at LA's own launch schedules for 2009 and 2010 for clues as to the potential parallel launch of SWTOR.
I agree with this. It's the smartest way to do things. People watching a new Star Wars show are much more likely to be swayed by commercials for an "exciting new Star Wars adventure!," and people playing a new Star Wars MMO are much more likely to watch a new t.v. show if it's tied in setting or theme to the game they're playing. It's as close to free advertising as you get. The fanbase for Star Wars is considerably larger than the fanbase for MMOs, so it would definitely seem to be in BioWare's best interest to attach their launch to a new Star Wars series if they want to expand the marketplace for their game.
Then again, maybe they'll just launch it when it's ready. Guessing is fun!
lol of course it was deleted pretty fast. Is it true? maybe, maybe not...we shall see. xD HE defended this all the way up to the end. I love speculation. The rumor was it was pushed back, but that was a few years ago. I hope they have the force/staff now to get it out sooner.we shall see.
My moneys on somewhere between June 1st and July 20th 2010. I have a feeling they want to release this in summer time, when alot of potential subscribers have nothing to do for almost 3 months and dont wanna spend another summer of playing warcraft because from what im reading about the game, that seems to be the market theyre shooting for outside of the star wars faithful.
Depends on EA imho... BioWare isn't BioWare anymore... unless the $860 Million EA paid was just to help them along...
EA has seemed to be hurting and these companies tend to want a product rushed to market when that happens. So it could be very late 2009 with a short beta test.
I would think to be honest for it to be released in the shape/quality it should be.. you'd be looking at a summer 2010 release and most likely fall/winter 2010.
Ok now Gamespot has it listed as TBA 2010 with a box shot. It's the same on IGN and labeled "Not final art" so Lucas arts must have submitted it. pc.ign.com/articles/922/922115p1.html
Considering only one class has been fully featured on the website along with a couple of planets, I think its safe to say it will still take a long while. And, what we know about the state of the game as it is now (a working game, if I'm correct), that long wait ahead of us can mean two things:
- Scenario 1: Folks at Bioware realize very well that when you really want to take on WOW you need a game which is polished and bug free at launch, huge on variety and content, entertaining in the long run and offer an altogether full and diverse gameplay experience. They have seen what we have seen; premium mmo's being launched too early and not complete enough to keep people interested for longer than 1-3 months. They have the money, the time and the vision to take development a few steps further to release a REAL contender to the throne.
- Scenario 2: Quite similar, with the addition that the game, in working state, got skewered by their own internal testers and it NEEDS more time to be developed into a game which does live up to their standards.
Then again ... they might just be right on schedual and taking their time to add more content and features ... but that sounds boring :P
Depends on EA imho... BioWare isn't BioWare anymore... unless the $860 Million EA paid was just to help them along... EA has seemed to be hurting and these companies tend to want a product rushed to market when that happens. So it could be very late 2009 with a short beta test. I would think to be honest for it to be released in the shape/quality it should be.. you'd be looking at a summer 2010 release and most likely fall/winter 2010. I guess we'll see...
From everything I've heard regarding this, I don't think Bioware will be negatively influenced by their relationship with EA. For the most part, EA is keeping their hands off and allowing Bioware to do their thing. However, they do have significantly more resources with which to do it now.
From an interview with EA/Bioware and Gamespot:
GameSpot: Going from the worlds' biggest independent developer to part of the world's biggest publisher? People are kind of taken aback. What's your reaction to that?
Ray Myzuka: Well, I'm really excited about the opportunity to integrate the great development teams we have here, the marketing teams we have here. As you said, EA is the largest, and I think, the best publisher in the world, and I think we can [add] some value to that team, and that organization as a partnership.
GS: Right, but you guys were always an icon of independent development, and were even more so after the deal with Pandemic...
Greg Zeschuk: Well, to be blunt, I don't really see ourselves as not being independent anymore. We've got a goal of making great BioWare games, and we believe in [EA CEO] John [Riccitiello]'s vision--we can't overemphasize that. We've worked with John for years, and we're looking forward to keep doing what we're doing and doing it well.
GS: You said you still think of yourself as being independent, even though you're now owned by EA. So what exactly, besides the fact you're obviously wealthier, has changed under the deal? Will day-to-day operations at BioWare change at all?
RM: Well, we can achieve more. We've got more opportunities, more resources for the great development and marketing teams here to take advantage of. We're also a lot more direct to the consumer now, since we're part of the publisher. It's going to allow us to fulfill our mission statement of making the best story-driven games in the world, even better than before. Nothing's going to change about that, since we're really passionate about that, and that's in line with what we've heard from John in the values and mission he's expressed.
GS: So is the name going to still be BioWare or is going to become "EA BioWare"?
GZ: Well we're still BioWare...
RM: BioWare is a name that's associated with some really positive things. The fans like the brand, it's a consumer-facing brand, so we're not going anywhere with it.
Comments
I think they are aiming for late 2010 After the customary delays I think it will be out in May '11. No way in hell it will make it out in '09. EA already said TOR will lose money in '09. The reason is, because its in development.
Here's a new read about how HeroEngine is supposed to speed up development times...
www.massively.com/2009/03/31/gdc09-how-heroengine-revolutionizes-mmorpg-game-design/
And here's another blurb that puts a date to BW's announcement on using HE...
ve3d.ign.com/articles/news/4349/BioWare-Gets-a-Hero-Engine
Now obviously they didn't start diving in setting up worlds on Aug '06, but from the first read, it would seem that project building and trouble shooting can be done on the fly using this setup....which would lead me to continue to believe that this is not going to follow the 'traditional dev cycle' that almost eveyone is quoting as scripture. Just sayin'.
Whenever it does come out, and I hope it's sooner rather than later, its launch date will almost inevitably be tied to a film or TV series or product launch by Lucas Arts. LA is crazy about 'marketing synergy' however idiotic it turns out to be. We should start looking at LA's own launch schedules for 2009 and 2010 for clues as to the potential parallel launch of SWTOR.
It depends when the beta comes out. Beta usually comes out 6-5 months before release.
No sooner than this.
I would say next year. 2010- fall.
My guess; Never; LA demaned to much of the cake and to many hands on the wheel and to many changes in late developemt. Bioware announces; We did not want to impliment orcs and elves.
Unfortunately, I agree with you.
Correction: the launch date will be announced as being in Autumn 2010 to meet some spurious LA deadline. That date will be moved to December and then finally to February 2011. At that time, it will be announced that this is not a launch but a beta test.
SOON (tm)
Say hello, To the things you've left behind. They are more a part of your life now that you can't touch them.
I am becoming increasingly suspicious that you all may be insane. I guess speculation is fun though. As for the topic itself there have been two slips made, the first was the accidental slip of a tanative June 09 date for Beta Testing and a tentative release in Q1 2010. These could just be miscommunication and not actual slips though, BioWare is good at keeping its secrets. Now we all know BioWare likes to put out a good product and wants things finished before release and that they also like to wait until the last moment to announce things. I believe they are polishing up the game now and releasing the informaiton in parts. If you go to their site its pretty clear what progress is being made as far as finishing a certain world or class. You can also sort of glean a timeline from the timelines they've set for the release of the background story (in comic form no less) and the release of each world and class and you can see they are moving very quickly. This means they are polishing things off and the game is being made ready for launch in the vicinity of a year. I would expect we see something in the next few months where they will be testing their servers in some fashion if it's not an outright beta. That testing will then determine a release date I'm sure rather than some arbitrary date before they know what they can handle. This is a highly anticipated game and BioWare knows that fact, BioWare will take every precaution to make sure they can handle the huge server loads at launch. If I were a beting man I would probably wager on Q1-Q2 of 2010 for a release date pending there are no catastrophies.
say Q2 2011
Not this year, that's for sure. Unless they want a buggy mess at launch.
Beta testing takes a lot of time and they aren't even in a stage to do that just yet. So I'm hoping for a late 2010 or early 2011 release.
I agree with this. It's the smartest way to do things. People watching a new Star Wars show are much more likely to be swayed by commercials for an "exciting new Star Wars adventure!," and people playing a new Star Wars MMO are much more likely to watch a new t.v. show if it's tied in setting or theme to the game they're playing. It's as close to free advertising as you get. The fanbase for Star Wars is considerably larger than the fanbase for MMOs, so it would definitely seem to be in BioWare's best interest to attach their launch to a new Star Wars series if they want to expand the marketplace for their game.
Then again, maybe they'll just launch it when it's ready. Guessing is fun!
Holocron
FULL GAME INFORMATION/PRESS RELEASES
MAY - JULY 2009
PHASE 1 BETA STARTED
JULY - SEPTEMBER 2009
PHASE 2 BETA STARTED
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2009
PHASE 3 OPEN BETA STARTED
OCTOBER - NOVEMBER 2009
SW:TOR GAME RELEASE
NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2009
It is the most accurate truth as I have forseen it.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
lol of course it was deleted pretty fast. Is it true? maybe, maybe not...we shall see. xD HE defended this all the way up to the end. I love speculation. The rumor was it was pushed back, but that was a few years ago. I hope they have the force/staff now to get it out sooner.we shall see.
April 12, 2010
Bank on it.
My moneys on somewhere between June 1st and July 20th 2010. I have a feeling they want to release this in summer time, when alot of potential subscribers have nothing to do for almost 3 months and dont wanna spend another summer of playing warcraft because from what im reading about the game, that seems to be the market theyre shooting for outside of the star wars faithful.
ALWAYS A YEAR AFTER WE ARE READY (
But what if it's still delayed? xD
www.massively.com/2007/10/11/ea-buys-bioware-their-mmo-delayed/
I was thinking around the holiday season 2010. Novemberish-December.
Depends on EA imho... BioWare isn't BioWare anymore... unless the $860 Million EA paid was just to help them along...
EA has seemed to be hurting and these companies tend to want a product rushed to market when that happens. So it could be very late 2009 with a short beta test.
I would think to be honest for it to be released in the shape/quality it should be.. you'd be looking at a summer 2010 release and most likely fall/winter 2010.
I guess we'll see...
Ok now Gamespot has it listed as TBA 2010 with a box shot. It's the same on IGN and labeled "Not final art" so Lucas arts must have submitted it. pc.ign.com/articles/922/922115p1.html
www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/starwarstheoldrepublic/index.html
The latest speculated time plus minimum 1 year, so since people keep saying mid to late 2010, minimum of late 2011.
Considering only one class has been fully featured on the website along with a couple of planets, I think its safe to say it will still take a long while. And, what we know about the state of the game as it is now (a working game, if I'm correct), that long wait ahead of us can mean two things:
- Scenario 1: Folks at Bioware realize very well that when you really want to take on WOW you need a game which is polished and bug free at launch, huge on variety and content, entertaining in the long run and offer an altogether full and diverse gameplay experience. They have seen what we have seen; premium mmo's being launched too early and not complete enough to keep people interested for longer than 1-3 months. They have the money, the time and the vision to take development a few steps further to release a REAL contender to the throne.
- Scenario 2: Quite similar, with the addition that the game, in working state, got skewered by their own internal testers and it NEEDS more time to be developed into a game which does live up to their standards.
Then again ... they might just be right on schedual and taking their time to add more content and features ... but that sounds boring :P
My brand new bloggity blog.
From everything I've heard regarding this, I don't think Bioware will be negatively influenced by their relationship with EA. For the most part, EA is keeping their hands off and allowing Bioware to do their thing. However, they do have significantly more resources with which to do it now.
From an interview with EA/Bioware and Gamespot:
GameSpot: Going from the worlds' biggest independent developer to part of the world's biggest publisher? People are kind of taken aback. What's your reaction to that?
Ray Myzuka: Well, I'm really excited about the opportunity to integrate the great development teams we have here, the marketing teams we have here. As you said, EA is the largest, and I think, the best publisher in the world, and I think we can [add] some value to that team, and that organization as a partnership.
GS: Right, but you guys were always an icon of independent development, and were even more so after the deal with Pandemic...
Greg Zeschuk: Well, to be blunt, I don't really see ourselves as not being independent anymore. We've got a goal of making great BioWare games, and we believe in [EA CEO] John [Riccitiello]'s vision--we can't overemphasize that. We've worked with John for years, and we're looking forward to keep doing what we're doing and doing it well.
GS: You said you still think of yourself as being independent, even though you're now owned by EA. So what exactly, besides the fact you're obviously wealthier, has changed under the deal? Will day-to-day operations at BioWare change at all?
RM: Well, we can achieve more. We've got more opportunities, more resources for the great development and marketing teams here to take advantage of. We're also a lot more direct to the consumer now, since we're part of the publisher. It's going to allow us to fulfill our mission statement of making the best story-driven games in the world, even better than before. Nothing's going to change about that, since we're really passionate about that, and that's in line with what we've heard from John in the values and mission he's expressed.
GS: So is the name going to still be BioWare or is going to become "EA BioWare"?
GZ: Well we're still BioWare...
RM: BioWare is a name that's associated with some really positive things. The fans like the brand, it's a consumer-facing brand, so we're not going anywhere with it.
April 2010 seems logical, therefore the realistic release date is late 2011. November 2011, likely.
Lots of time for me to upgrade.