EA Takes On Publishing Duties For Star Wars: The Old Republic

In yet another move that signals LucasArts is becoming less hands-on, tonight Electronic Arts announced it is taking full control of the publishing duties for the highly anticipated Star Wars MMO.

So what does this mean exactly? EA is now taking the reins on all all the marketing, customer service, and distribution. "It makes things easier for us to have everything under one roof," BioWare co-founder Ray Muzyka said. The transfer in publishing duties doesn't mean LucasArts abandoning all control; it is still involved with making sure the game holds true to the spirit of Star Wars.

Muzyka also used the stage opportunity to announce some new details about the game's player vs. player combat. Rather than just throw Jedi and Sith into an arena and let their lightsabers do the talking, BioWare is introducing objective based instances. The first mission Muzyka revealed takes place on Alderaan, with both the Republic and the Empire vie to gain control of a planetary defense cannon. As of now these matches are 8v8, but BioWare told us that may change as it balances the gameplay. Players will earn tokens, XP, and loot in these bouts, and a smart matchmaking system will keep the learning curve fair for new players.

Electronic Arts is unfortunately still playing coy with the game's release date, sticking to the vague "2011" window.