Executive Producer Keith Kanneg has made an official statement regarding the transition of the Star Wars: The Old Republic (SWTOR) development team to a third-party studio. Kanneg reassured players on the SWTOR forums that despite the shift, the team’s primary focus remains on content creation and modernization initiatives. The much-anticipated Game Updates 7.3.1 and 7.4 are still under development, and planning for the years 2024 and 2025 is underway.
In response to a flurry of questions, Kanneg confirmed that the shift would not significantly alter the gaming experience for players. SWTOR’s website and forums will continue to provide regular updates and news, while EA’s support page and in-game tools will maintain their assistance functions.
Despite the shift, the SWTOR team will retain its remote working setup, with members operating from various locations across the US and beyond. The team’s physical presence will continue to be based in Austin, with a new office space in the pipeline.
Contrary to speculation, Kanneg affirmed that SWTOR is not entering maintenance mode. Instead, it continues to work on modernizing the game, having upgraded it to a 64-bit system, with plans to migrate servers to the cloud in progress. Kanneg emphasized that the shift to a third-party studio would allow greater creative freedom, opening up exciting opportunities for the future.
The Executive Producer also reassured players that their game accounts and Cartel Coins would not be affected by the transition. He highlighted that despite EA remaining the publisher on record, SWTOR’s development team would continue to lead the game’s development and direction, with EA providing publishing and player support.
With regards to moving servers to the cloud, Kanneg assured players that it was still on the cards, although timelines would need to be reassessed. Evaluations of the APAC server were also ongoing.
Kanneg concluded by reassuring the community that these changes do not signify the beginning of the end but represent a new chapter for SWTOR. He promised further updates on their progress in the coming weeks, including improvements with Steam and an update to DirectX 12.
In the meantime, Game Update 7.3 is now live. Kanneg committed to playing alongside the community, running the new story and Flashpoint on all his characters.