It’s Official! Star Wars: The Old Republic is moving from Bioware to Broadsword!

The news is now official that Star Wars the Old Republic is moving from the studio called BioWare over to the studio called Broadsword. It will continue to be published by Electronic Arts, aaka “EA” and supported by Lucasfilm Games. This move signifies a new chapter in the game’s life, and also potentially allows the game to have a longer life time.

Summary:

SWTOR is officially changing studios from Bioware to Broadsword.
It is still being published by EA and supported by Lucasfilm Games.
A large chunk of the current SWTOR staff have already moved over to Broadsword, including the current:
- Executive Producer – Keith Kanneg ✔️
- Lead Game Producer – Eric Musco ✔️ (now confirmed)
- Community Manager – Jackie ✔️
- Lead Writer – Caitlin Sullivan Kelly ✔️
- Narrative Director – Ashley Ruhl ✔️
- World Designer – Dave Shramek ✔️
- Systems Designer – Joe Stramaglia ✔️
- Director of Development – Brooks Guthrie ✔️
- Monetization Art Director – Bradley W. Lewis ✔️
- Systems Designer – Bryant Wood ✔️
- Director of Live Services, Ted Gegoux ✔️
- Development Director, Amrita Nair ✔️
- Gameplay Designer, Chris Durel ✔️ (on the forums)
- Gameplay Design Director, George Smith ✔️ (on the forums)
- Encounter Designer, Victoria McCreary ✔️ (did move over, but no longer with the team)
- Live Operations Producer – Becca ✔️
- Encounter Designer – Daniel Cefaratti ✔️ (Linkedin)
- More devs?
The developers plan to continue adding content to the game, it is not going into maintenance mode with the move.
Upcoming updates to the game:
- 7.3.1, Galactic Season 5 in the coming months
- Old Wounds story continuing in 7.4 on its heels as we enter the holidays
- Migrating servers over to the cloud
- Continuing with evaluation regarding an APAC server
- Improved integrations with Steam
- Updating to DirectX 12
- GTN Revamp?
Your account, login, billing, Cartel Coins, characters, customer support, SWTOR forums and website, etc will still stay the same.

Contents

SWTOR Developer Post
Bioware Post
Which SWTOR Developers are moving over to Broadsword?

SWTOR Developer Post

When the news first broke about this potential move players were very concerned that the game was being moved to a studio known for keeping games in maintenance mode. However, a lot more questions have been answered since then officially by the developers, and the most important thing to know is that most of the Star Wars: The Old Republic developers are also moving over to Broadsword and have plans to continue upgrading, enhancing, and adding story to the game. When we first heard the news, it was a rumor but a fairly credible one, but it’s now been fully confirmed by the developers in a series of posts.

Studio Update – Star Wars: The Old Republic

Hi folks!

I’ve been a part of SWTOR since well before launch and it’s been an incredible journey. I ended up taking on many different roles on the team over that time, so I’ve seen this game from just about every different angle there is. And honestly, I absolutely love this game—not to mention the people who continue to make it fun. Even after almost 12 years, I see so much room for growth and so much potential in SWTOR.

I know decisions that impact our people are the hardest part of change and evolution, but I believe Broadsword is the right studio to continue to enhance and modernize our game—and also expand the number of people who can play it.

Of course, I’m also very glad that I’ll be moving over with key team leaders and continuing to work with most of our current team. This team has never stopped excelling, even proudly delivering an amazing update 7.2 Showdown on Ruhnuk over the holiday break—along with technological improvements like our new fast launcher, 64-bit client , and Cloud Game Servers. I can’t thank them enough for their passion and dedication in bringing these experiences to life for our players.

I also want to thank EA and BioWare for all they have done for me and this team, not to mention all our friends at Lucasfilm Games, whose support and collaboration have helped make all this happen for us. They’re the best, and I look forward to continuing to work with them.

We are excited about the future of SWTOR, and once we get our feet firmly planted at Broadsword, we look forward to sharing plans for game direction and improvements. Until then, rest assured that all the current plans are still in motion!

As examples, we just delivered our largest story update in months, and a new story flashpoint with Game Update 7.3: Old Wounds, taking us back to the planet Voss, which we haven’t visited since our KOTET expansion back in 2016. We will also be rolling out Game Update 7.3.1, which will contain our next Galactic Season, in the coming months. And stay tuned for details on Game Update 7.4, where players will see the story continue following the events of Old Wounds. And there’s even more on the horizon. We will continue to publish communication on swtor.com and the SWTOR forums, as we always have, so you will be hearing from me again soon.

No change is easy, but it certainly helps that we’re all excited about the future of this very special game. We look forward to seeing that vision become reality alongside all our players and fans.

May the Force be with you,

Keith Kanneg
Executive Producer, Star Wars™: The Old Republic™

Source

Bioware Post

The Future is Bright for Star Wars: The Old Republic

Hello,

It’s been a little while since I’ve checked in, and as you might have heard, there’s a lot happening here at BioWare.

Almost 12 years after launch, Star Wars™: The Old Republic™ remains a fantastic success, continuing to welcome new players to its vast galaxy and entertaining veteran players with its evolving content. It’s the longest-running live service Star Wars game ever and we’re enormously proud of the work the team has done in creating, expanding, and maintaining this incredible game. We’re delighted to have grown such a dedicated and passionate community through all these years. The future of the game and the community continues to be very bright.

I’ve been working closely with Keith Kanneg, who leads the SWTOR team, to give the game and the team the best opportunity to grow and evolve. And so, while EA will remain SWTOR’s publisher, development of the game will move to our partner and friends at Broadsword, a boutique studio with expertise in managing online games. Both the Broadsword studio and SWTOR team members will be joining forces and working tirelessly to support “every player, every day,” ensuring that these worlds and these communities continue to thrive and grow. Their Founder and President, Rob Denton, even has direct experience with SWTOR, having helped lead the team during the development and launch of the game during his time at EA.

So what does this mean?

Well, most importantly, it means that players will continue to enjoy the SWTOR they know and love, and as Keith mentioned in a recent community post, all current plans are still in place. There are also exciting new features planned that the team is not quite ready to talk about yet, but suffice it to say that players can expect improvements and new content into the future. This is a company that will give SWTOR the room to grow and flourish, with the continued commitment and full support of Lucasfilm Games, and the continued partnership with EA.

No big change comes without challenges. Among them is the fact that most of the current team will be invited to accompany the game on its move to Broadsword, though unfortunately not every role will make the move. This is the hardest part of this transition, and these decisions were not made lightly. We are of course doing everything we can to support the affected team members, who have an opportunity to find new roles within EA. In addition, we’re aware that the team members who are being asked to move to a new studio will also be adapting to change, and we will be working with Broadsword to make the transition as comfortable as possible.

In the long run, though, we are confident that this is the best decision for the game and its community. We at BioWare will miss being a part of SWTOR’s story going forward. But we also know that it will be in very good hands.

As we look toward the future, BioWare is focused on being a leader in developing immersive, emotionally charged, single-player games, with teams primarily in Austin and Edmonton. This means a renewed focus on our two key franchises: Dragon Age™ and Mass Effect™. For Dragon Age, we continue to build, polish, and tune an exceptional experience we know our fans will love. We can’t wait to share more on this soon. For Mass Effect, we continue pre-production with a core team of veteran storytellers who are bringing the deep franchise history forward in a spectacular new way.

I’m excited about the opportunities that lie ahead, and Keith wanted to share his own thoughts about the transition.

Stay well,

Gary McKay
General Manager, BioWare

Source

Which SWTOR Developers are moving over to Broadsword?

Executive Producer – Keith Kanneg

See his official announcement post above!

Community Manager – Jackie

New chapter, same book.

Very proud of this team and the work they do. I’ll be moving over to Broadsword and remaining the CM for SWTOR. Here’s to continuing to build and create for this amazing game with our passionate players.

I have a genuine love for the people I work with and they are such a huge part of why I love my job. They are so talented, skilled, and love what they do. I truly am blessed to be a part of this team and to be a part of SWTOR in general.

While there is very little player facing impact with this shift, I ask for patience and empathy as we adjust and settle into our new home. But let it be known, that we will be hitting the ground running and getting back into our rhythm soon enough.

Thank you for being a part of not only SWTOR’s story but my own personal one as well. We’re going to rock this new chapter together. For now, I’ll leave you all with a giant hug depicted by my favorite wall space. (Also, we’ll have more deets about 7.3.1 and 7.4 in due time)

Jay (Charlemagne), Community Manager for BioWare reply: It’s been an honour working with and getting to know you, my friend. May the Force be with you.

Lead Writer – Caitlin Sullivan Kelly

Yesterday was my first day as Lead Writer on SWTOR… just with more Broadsword! I’m no longer an employee of BioWare, and while getting laid off generally sucks, where I work isn’t important. All that matters is I get to continue working on this amazing project.

I’ve been in the games industry since 2011. That time that was pretty dark for me. My father had recently passed away. I was working a terrible insurance job with an abusive boss. One thing that got me through it all was keegankelly0 handing me a copy of Dragon Age: Origins.

I didn’t know a video game could be so enrapturing. I didn’t know telling that kind of story was possible in video games. I didn’t know that just anyone could be a game developer. But playing Dragon Age made me want to become one, so I did.

After three years in the industry, I was hired at BioWare in January 2014 to work on Star Wars: the Old Republic. To say it was an absolute dream come true is an understatement. I’d walk into work every day and look around, in complete disbelief that I was working at BIOWARE.

But, as all things do, the shine began to fade. After many years, and some heartbreaking interactions, I was coming into work every day not so proud to work at BioWare anymore. But one thing never changed. One thing kept pushing me to stay the course.

It wasn’t *BioWare* who supported me, who guided me, mentored me, cheered me on during every step of my journey from QA to writing. It wasn’t BioWare that forged my lasting friendships with amazing people.

All of my professional successes, I owe to the wonderful SWTOR team.

I am so proud to work with the most welcoming, supportive, passionate, creative group of people, and I am so thankful for them all–the current team, and all those I’ve had the privilege to work with in past years. I am profoundly grateful that I get to KEEP working with them!

I’m 6 months away from my 10 year anniversary at BioWare, but I’m not sad about leaving. More than anything, I’m excited for what the future holds for us. Star Wars has always been about taking your destiny into your own hands, and I know we’ll make the most of this opportunity!

And with such an awesome community behind us, I know we can do anything.

May the Force be with you!!

Narrative Director – Ashley Ruhl

This has definitely been a BIG transition with some tough decisions along the way. But I am grateful that I can continue building the story of SWTOR at Broadsword as Narrative Director, alongside my incredible team.

Bioware was one of the studios that inspired me to consider a career in games. To create stories and roleplay that speak to the core of a player, and give them confidence, empathy, and courage in their own lives.

But working with the SWTOR team in particular has demonstrated to me that game development can be just as caring, honest, thoughtful, and courageous as the experiences we design. HOW we create is just as important as WHAT we create.

When empathy is part of your team’s ethos, you have a better foundation to support each other through change. And throughout this process I have been in awe of how the SWTOR team has rallied together to take care of one another.

As we move into our new home at Broadsword, I’m proud to continue to be a part of such an incredible team. And as always, I’m so excited to share what we’re working on in the future.

May the Force be with you!

World Designer – Dave Shramek

I’ve been developing on SWTOR for almost fourteen years, twice my whole previous games career, and there’s no reason to stop now. I can’t wait to show you what’s coming next.

Chris Schmidt, former Game Designer at Bioware reply: Dave and I started the same day on SWTOR in 2009. He has surely scripted some of your favorite story moments. Onward!

Jackie, Community Manager Reply: LET’S GOOOOOO, DAVE! 👏👏👏

Systems Designer – Joe Stramaglia

I love this team, I love this game, I love the community. I haven’t been here as long as many of the devs on the project, but I feel incredibly honored to continue to work alongside them. Everyone on this team has a deep passion for the game and I’m excited for the possibilities!

Jackie, Community Manager Reply: Working with you has been such a wonderful experience. And we get to do so even more now! Ahhhhhhhhh!

Chris Schmidt, former Game Designer at Bioware reply: I’ve been loving your changes, sir! Keep kicking ass!

Director of Development – Brooks Guthrie

On to a new, but incredibly familiar journey!

Excited by everything the SWTOR team will bring to life this year and for many years to come.

Grateful for my time at BioWare and looking forward to the new adventure at Broadsword!

Jackie, Community Manager Reply: You’re an absolute badass for stepping up these past few weeks especially. Thank you for always taking care of us 💜 This new adventure is gonna be amazing.

Monetization Art Director – Bradley W. Lewis

I started working on SWTOR in 2010. No need to stop now. Good-Bye-o-ware, hello Broadsword.

Former SWTOR Writer, Jo Berry reply: They’re lucky to have you

Systems Designer – Bryant Wood

You have my BroadS̶a̶b̶e̶r̶Sword! Love this community and this team.

Systems Design
Broadsword

Lead Game Producer – Eric Musco

Eric Musco posted this on his Twitter.

https://t.co/dw6g7ioafN pic.twitter.com/Sq89K1LCHY

— Eric Musco (@musco) June 27, 2023

He did follow up with additional tweets to confirm he was moving over too later.

I appreciate that! Yup, I threw out a cheeky gif (my normal form of communication) instead of a more direct form of confirmation. But yes I am totally on the Broadsword train.

— Eric Musco (@musco) June 27, 2023

pic.twitter.com/fKHQNTPM1I

— Eric Musco (@musco) June 29, 2023

More devs?

koknatha – “Former Community person for @swtor | Now doing stuff for @EA_DICE” (looks like she changed studios to Dice, still within EA – I think they did more behind-the-scenes stuff for SWTOR on the community team.)
Phred, External Dev Artist (stilled listed at “@BioWare on @SWTOR”)
Shabir Dillon, Gameplay Designer (balancing, pvp)
Others?

Questions or comments? Feel free to send me a message on Twitter @swtorista, Reddit /u/swtorista, Youtube Swtorista channel or by e-mail at the same name with gmail.com at the end. Have fun out there and may the Force be with you. ~ Swtorista