Intended Playerbase

SWTOR’s intended player base is not hardcore gamers who

are looking for innovation in MMOs.  These are looking

for a new thrill, and are not satisfied with MMOs as

they exist today. Furthermore, they have rejected the

game and moved on and and are now looking for GW2 and

other games to break new ground for them. Good luck guys

and gals.

SWTOR does appeal to hardcore gamers who are satisfied

with incremental innovation in MMOs.  I count myself

among this number, and I love the game. BW has added its

special touch to MMOs by getting rid of text box quest

givers and introduced us to a vibrant, interesting set

of story lines that involve us in conversations with the

non-player character world. They have made innovations

in crafting by getting rid of roaming the lands looking

for resources, and other small steps. Kudos BW!

SWTOR’s intended player base is Star Wars fans. Most of

these have never even heard of a MMO, much less played

one. But they, my son among them, love the thing that is

Star Wars. They have models, collections, toys, and

copies of the movies which they watch over and over

again wishing there was more to the story. BW has

brought them that story, and almost 2 million of them

responded by buying the game. They liked the game, but

they weren’t prepared to pay $15 a month for it and

they began slipping away.

The decision to go F2P will reach these fans and the

game will surpass WOW in population.  They will come in

droves and learn the basics of MMOs as they explore the

Star Wars universe. Wookies, Jedi, especially Jedi, the

Republic, space ships, and new stories—they are all

there. The game can’t help but be a success now.

BW, LucasArts, and EA knew who they were after, but they

erred in thinking these fans would come to a

subscription based MMO. They’ve seen the error of their

ways and they are correcting it. A great future lies

ahead for them and for the players.