Last week on November 15th, Star Wars: The Old Republic added a free-to-play option, allowing you to progress through the game’s entire story free of charge. Following in the footsteps of many other Massive Multiplayer Online (MMO) games, The Old Republic can now be played without a monthly subscription fee.
Rumors of a free-to-play option first surfaced when the game was launched in December of last year, as it can be difficult for MMOs to keep up their subscription base without offering alternative payment methods. Going free-to-play doesn’t mean the game wasn’t a success however. The Old Republic logged more than one million subscribers in the first three days after it launched, making it the fastest growing MMO to date. While the subscriber base has since dropped quite a bit, it’s still one of the top games in its genre.
Of course, developer BioWare can’t give away everything for free. As a result, the game’s 50 levels and the entire core story will be free, but ancillary features like Flashpoints, Space Battles, Operations, and customization options will have some restrictions. These, however, can be removed with a full subscription or the purchase of Cartel Coins. For more information, check out the game’s official website.
Zack Alcorn began reporting on video game news for EUCantina in 2009. He assists in all news reporting for the website. Zack is majoring in history at Seton Hall University. He is an avid Golfer and gamer, who loves everything Star Wars. Zack would consider himself a prequel defender. 
