BioWare and LucasArts have today announced that their MMORPG The Old Republic has gone live with its free-to-play option.

Players can now complete all of the storylines for the eight classes available in the game, up to level 50 without a subscription fee. Matthew Bromberg, GM of BioWare Austin, had this to say;

“We want to give our players the freedom to enjoy Star Wars: The Old Republic when and how they want… There has never been a better time to start playing with us.”

So how will they make their money now? That’s easy; monetize a bunch of features through the Cartel Market. Using the somewhat unimaginatively named ‘Cartel Coins’ (which are purchased for ‘Real Life Money’) you can buy everything from the removal of various weekly limits imposed on free players (finite completions on missions, inventory, quick bars etc) to the right to use ‘purple quality gear’. Prince will be upset…

They weren’t done there though as BioWare released Game Update 1.5: HK-51 Activated as well, featuring (from the press release):

Get ready for an action-packed adventure to earn control of one of the galaxy’s most deadly Assassins, HK-51. Submerged beneath the icy surface of Belsavis lies a derelict ship and if you are brave enough to venture through the wreckage, you will embark on a mission that ultimately rewards you with a powerful new, yet familiar, ally: the ruthless Assassin Droid, HK-51.

Explore Section X, a previously untouched area of the prison world of Belsavis. The Dread Masters’ servants are searching for a powerful and ancient weapon. Fly to Section X and secure the target of their search to be richly rewarded.

Travel to Denova to take on Operation: Explosive Conflict – now with a Nightmare Mode! Teams who complete in this new mode can earn the final pieces of the Dread Guard gear set and a brand new mount that will be sure to cause tank envy!

Sounds good. Always wanted a sociopathic assassin droid to hang out with…

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