Shacknews apparently got confused, and they're confusing you, so allow me to clarify. Nothing has actually changed since we announced pre-order access in July.

Everyone who pre-orders Star Wars: The Old Republic and redeems their pre-order code will get Early Game Access. Those who do this will be able to download the game client and play the game ahead of the release date.

While we aren't ready to talk about the exact timing of when Early Game Access starts (that depends on a number of factors including Game Testing and pre-order numbers), we'll announce that before the start date. Our planning accounts for allowing people to download the client before the Early Game Access start date, too.

However, when you actually gain admittance to Early Game Access will be determined in a first-come, first-served manner dependent on when you redeemed your pre-order code.

While we understand all of you want to be in Early Game Access on Day One, part of the point of a head start program like this one is to allow us to gradually ramp up the population of our servers so that on launch day, the general play experience is as pleasant as possible. While we're going to be allowing a lot of people into Early Game Access at regular intervals, we cannot allow everyone who pre-orders in at once. That would defeat the point of a gradual head start.

The next obvious question is "I pre-ordered on Day X, when do I get access?" While we cannot answer that for everyone, I will say (as I did in July) that those who pre-ordered early will be getting Early Game Access, well, earliest. At this point we still have pre-orders available and therefore, anyone who pre-orders will still gain Early Game Access, but as they're redeeming their code later, they'll get Early Game Access later. As I've said before the difference between 'early' and 'later' should be a matter of days, not weeks.

I hope this helps clear things up a bit. I'd encourage everyone to review the pre-order FAQ and specifically the section on Early Game Access, too.

Star Trek: Online. Age of Conan. DC Universe Online. These are just a few of the most recent, big-budget titles who have recognized that a subscription-based model for MMOs just isn't working anymore. Even Blizzard's mighty World of Warcraft is feeling the pinch, with its steady decline of player population. Sony Online Entertainment president John Smedley acknowledges this hard fact, in a recent interview. "Simply put, the world is moving on from this model and over time people aren’t going to accept this method."

But BioWare is quick to disagree. In defense of its forthcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare's VP Greg Zeschuk thinks that gamers are willing to pay for quality content. "I think there will always be a place for premium content at a premium price and that’s one of the differences." Zeschuk also emphasizes the staying power of the Star Wars franchise, and BioWare's capacity to provide consistently great gameplay. Ray Muzyka, another top BioWare executive, shares Zeschuk's optimism. Muzyka notes that today's players are indulged with so many social games and free-to-play MMOs, it's only paramount for developers to step up and exceed customer expectations. "I think The Old Republic is definitely in that triple-A premium category. That’s the feedback reading from the players and data testing," said Muzyka.

SW: TOR will launch with a monthly fee of $14.99. In the meantime, do you guys think that subscription-based MMOs like Star Wars: The Old Republic have what it takes to survive in the long run? Or will free-to-play titles eventually take over the entire MMO space?

We hope you are enjoying participating in the Game Testing Program and want to thank you for helping shape the most anticipated MMO to date.

We've posted a fun short survey for game testers, and the results have been really interesting so far. Answer a few questions and see what your fellow testers are thinking. After the survey, hit the forums to talk about your experience or get gameplay tips.

Tak czy inaczej, pewnie masa ludzi to kupi i choć bez bugów się pewnie nie obejdzie, to stawiam, że sukces finansowy zaliczą. Przynajmniej na początku.

LOLZ.
Ciekawe w takim razie gdzie mail, ktory dawal mi access do bety ?

Earlier today, two e-mails were sent to members of the Star Wars: The Old Republic community. These e-mails were sent to a larger group than intended,
and have caused some confusion in the community. We can confirm that these e-mails were from EA and BioWare and apologize for any confusion they have caused.
Please note that receiving these e-mails does not affect your chances to be invited to test the game. Thank you all for your understanding!

Oj, liczą na magiczną moc uniwersum. I bardzo możliwe, że nawet im się to uda. Może jeszcze uszczkną spory kawałek z tego tortu, zanim faktycznie rynek MMO odejdzie od abonamentu.

W ostatnim z wywiadów deweloper jednej z gier, której nazwy nie wymówię, bo nie jest to STWOR, powiedział, że mitem jest stwierdzenie, że koszt utrzymania serwerów jest tak ogromny, iż wymaga abonamentu. Jak mądrze zauważył przez ostatnie 6 lat ceny łącz bardzo spadły. W ogóle spadły ceny wszystkiego. A magiczna stawka opłat abonamentowych stoi.

A co do mantry, że żeby mieć dobry content, to trzeba płacić abonament, to do mnie nie trafia. Nie wiem, czy po tych wszystkich failach jeszcze ktoś w to wierzy, oprócz marketingowców BioWare.

Tak czy inaczej, pewnie masa ludzi to kupi i choć bez bugów się pewnie nie obejdzie, to stawiam, że sukces finansowy zaliczą. Przynajmniej na początku.

Nie zmienia to jednak faktu, ze z jakiegos powodu gry przechodza na F2P

Nie z jakiegos, tylko nie ma czegos takiego jak f2p, a mikroplatnosci sa duzo bardziej oplacalne niz staly abonament.

X.

Pewnie dlatego, ze osoby ktore placa abo i tak sa sklonne placic dalej w item shopie. Osoby, ktore nie sa sklonne placic abo kupia od czasu do czasu cos w item shopie.
Wiec pewnie ogólny rachunek wychodzi na plus.

tu masz odpowiedz na swoje pytanie

But BioWare is quick to disagree. In defense of its forthcoming MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic, BioWare's VP Greg Zeschuk thinks that gamers are willing to pay for quality content. "I think there will always be a place for premium content at a premium price and that’s one of the differences." Zeschuk also emphasizes the staying power of the Star Wars franchise, and BioWare's capacity to provide consistently great gameplay. Ray Muzyka, another top BioWare executive, shares Zeschuk's optimism. Muzyka notes that today's players are indulged with so many social games and free-to-play MMOs, it's only paramount for developers to step up and exceed customer expectations. "I think The Old Republic is definitely in that triple-A premium category. That’s the feedback reading from the players and data testing," said Muzyka.

Silly Bioware. Ciekawe jak beda spiewac gdy beda musieli przejsc na F2P szybciej niz wymienione gry "Premium Content" lol.

Od kilku lat mmo są robione na jedno kopyto, contentu dają mało i się potem dziwią że nikt nie chce płacić za kolejnego klona.
Dostałem klucz do bety, zobaczę czy będzie się opłacało kupować toto.