LucasFilms registers "Star Wars The Old Republic" mark

Source

Bioware Austin MMO slated for 2010 or 2011

From a TVG article

EA has seemingly admitted involvement in BioWare's mystery MMO project (now strongly believed to be a KOTOR 3 MMO), which suggests that both LucasArts and EA will pool their efforts in publishing the highly anticipated MMO project from the Austin, Texas based developer.

At a recent stock conference with investors, EA's CEO John Riccitello was referring to a list of 15 new intellectual properties in the publisher's pipeline when he let this slip:

"It's giving us strong new entries in online. For example, we're funding the MMO in Austin, which is helping us a lot." He went on to state that the MMO is slated for fiscal 2010/11 (i.e. between April 1st 2010 and March 31st 2011).

We've done a lot of head scratching and can't think of any other MMO projects that he might be referring to in Austin, or any other EA studios in that part of Texas other than BioWare.

It's now becoming one of the worst kept secrets in gaming that BioWare's MMO project is based on the Knights of the Old Republic universe. When over 100 hundred LucasArts staff were made redundant earlier this month, whistle blowers leaked a number of unannounced projects under the LucasArts umbrella, one of which was a KOTOR 3 MMO under development at BioWare.

LucasArts, EA, and BioWare all working on a KOTOR MMO together - who'da thunk it?

Former LucasArts employee : KOTOR 3 will be a MMO

From a Kotaku article :

One former employee has told us not only how he was immediately sacked after six years of service, but how wide-ranging the layoffs appear to be, and the impact they'll supposedly have on many of Lucasart's upcoming projects. Some of them as-yet-unannounced. Projects like KOTOR 3, a Wii Star Wars title and the non-Lego Indiana Jones game.

[...]

Some of the titles they report Lucasarts apparently have in this stacked pipeline, whether as publisher or developer, include:

- KOTOR 3 (They say it's an MMO: most likely a joint project between Lucasarts and BioWare)
- Battlefront 3 (which we've already heard about)
- "The Official Indiana Jones" game (probably this one)
- "another LEGO game based on the Indy universe"
- "a lightsaber game for the wii (sorry, no lightsaber peripherals)"

Related : LucasArts Leak Shows KOTOR 3 As MMO News

Rumor over the rumor : KOTOR MMO cancelled ?

From a Kotaku article :

We've continued to receive e-mails throughout the day from folks who it seems are now formerly in the employ of Lucasarts, telling us this and that about the circumstances behind their departure from the company. But few are as revealing as one we were sent earlier this evening. One former employee has told us not only how he was immediately sacked after six years of service, but how wide-ranging the layoffs appear to be, and the impact they'll supposedly have on many of Lucasart's upcoming projects. Some of them as-yet-unannounced. Projects like KOTOR 3, a Wii Star Wars title and the non-Lego Indiana Jones game.

The source tells us that the sackings are spread across the company, and involve (as we were told earlier) everyone from testers to head producers. They also re-iterate earlier reports that the number of staff affected is around 100, and that the cull actually began on Wednesday, and continued through into Thursday.

Most interesting, however, is the information they provide on how the layoffs leave the company severely short-staffed as they approach a packed development schedule, one which it appears may be increasingly outsourced. Some of the titles they report Lucasarts apparently have in this stacked pipeline, whether as publisher or developer, include:

- KOTOR 3 (They say it's an MMO: most likely a joint project between Lucasarts and BioWare)
- Battlefront 3 (which we've already heard about)
- "The Official Indiana Jones" game (probably this one)
- "another LEGO game based on the Indy universe"
- "a lightsaber game for the wii (sorry, no lightsaber peripherals)"

Two internally-developed games apparently far enough along to be unaffected by the sackings are The Force Unleashed (which they say has already "passed approval with SCEA and is ready to ship") and Fracture, which they say is described by team members as "an absolute piece of garbage".

As the testimony of a freshly-sacked employee, take that appraisal of Fracture with a grain of salt. And as the testimony of a freshly-sacked employee, don't expect Lucasarts or BioWare to go commenting on things like KOTOR3 or a Wii lightsaber game anytime soon. But it's certainly further food for thought.

Source

"The best of breed of MMO features, and some impactful innovations"

From a Gamasutra interview of Bioware CEO Ray Muzyka

Talking to Gamasutra as part of a new feature on life at BioWare following its acquisition by Electronic Arts, founder and CEO Ray Muzyka has said its highly classified MMO project will bring as much polish and quality as Blizzard's WoW, but will innovate on a number of fronts.

BioWare's Austin studio was founded in March of 2006, and since that time has been working on a 'mystery project' that many have speculated could be Star Wars related. While Muzyka still left the project undetailed, he did say of the title:

It's going to feel like a BioWare game. It's going to have the best of breed of MMO features, and some new innovations that when we reveal them, hopefully they'll be impactful for people.

Speaking on Blizzard's massively successful World of Warcraft, and of the lack of equitable competition that's followed, Muzyka added:

It's not a slight at all on Blizzard. I think they've done a great job. But the fact that people want to play that kind of game is an opportunity to really deliver that level of polish and quality, and innovate in a few key areas, while they continue to innovate in a few key areas, too.

[...]

Source

Background (from the KOTOR Online Wiki)

Last update : 20th october 2008
Copied from the KotOR Oline Wiki

Although not officially announced yet, several reports lead us to believe that Star Wars: KotOR Online may be in development. If you've got anything new to report please join us and edit this page or hop over to the forums and post it there.

Facts

• BioWare and LucasArts issued a press release announcing the two are collaborating on a "ground-breaking interactive entertainment product." The release promises more information is coming at a "later date," though everything point to the long-hinted-at Star Wars MMO [Source]
• On March 5, 2007, Chris Priestly of Bioware debunked rumors that BioWare is working on a third installment of the KotOR single players series. Quote: How about I prove you wrong by saying that we are not working on KotOR 3 and have no plans to start? It may be a rumor or w hope or w wish or whatever, but we are not currently working on KotOR 3 and we have no plans to work on KotPR 3 at this (or any afaik) time. [Source]
• The Star Wars Galaxies development team is located in Austin, as well, and BioWare confirmed almost a year ago an unspecified number of SOE employees migrated to BioWare when they moved into the area. The studio is headed by MMORPG industry veterans Gordon Walton and Richard Vogel. Gordon Waltin worked on Star Wars Galaxies. [Source]
• A .pdf file from the EA acquisition listing all the past and future games from Bioware - notice the New MMO doesn’t have Owned IP checked - Meaning it is indeed a licensed IP [Source]
• July 12, 2008, Kotaku reports that LucasFilm has recently filed trademark applications for Star Wars The Old Republic, The Old Republic, Star Wars Sagas and Star Wars Legends, all of which are described as "video game software" and "entertainment services provided on-line by means of global and local area networks."
• July 17th, 2008, BioWare is slated to announce a new title at E3 2008. - [Source]
• July 12, 2008, John Riccitiello, CEO of Electronic Arts, confirms in an interview with that Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is indeed getting a massively multiplayer online iteration: An article on [portfolio.com] quotes Riccitiello as saying, "... the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about -- in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare, which is, I think, quite possibly the most anticipated game, full stop, for the industry at the point when we get closer to telling you about it." When directly asked if this was confirmation of Knights of the Old Republic Online, the executive said simply, "yes".
• July 3, 2008, Lucasfilm LTD submits a copyright application to the US patent office for: "Star Wars: The Old Republic". The "goods and or services" section outlines just what will be entailed in the project which clearly defines it as an MMO. [Copyright Application]
• October 6, 2008, According to an invitation sent out to media outlets including Gamasutra, LucasArts' and BioWare's long-awaited, much-discussed joint development project will be revealed to the press October 21, 2008 [Source]

Speculations

• A source close to BioWare confirmed that the studio’s upcoming MMO will be centered around the Star Wars universe [Source]
• Analysts claim it is a Star Wars MMO - [Source]
  • Responding to EA's acquisition of BioWare/Pandemic, analysts from Citi, Oppenheimer, Lazard, and Wedbush Morgan have all reacted positively, saying the move was well worth the $860 million price, and speculating Bioware's "mystery MMO" will be Star Wars themed, calling it a "strong positive" for EA.
  • Citi's Brent Thill noted that the "industry is buzzing over BioWare's mystery MMO," predicting, "based on past development work" that Bioware is quietly working on the Star Wars MMO. As said, Thill calls the potential of the title a "strong positive" for the publisher, and one that "bolsters [its] MMO exposure."
• July, 21, 2007, A Star Wars Galaxies player takes an official survey about a MMO with the title "Star Wars: The Old Republic". He immediately posts all of the details on Ahazi.org. He reposts the information on July, 20, 2008 on [This Blog].

Technologies

• On August 8, 2006 BioWare announces the selection of Simutronic's HeroEngine for its upcoming MMO
• On June 11, 2007 BioWare selects StreamBase's Stream Processing Engine for its next-generation MMO
• On July 19, 2007 BioWare announces a licensing deal for Perpetual Entertainment's Online Technology Platform for use in BioWare's upcoming MMO
• On December 12, 2007 Audio solution provider Audiokinetic has announced that Mass Effect developer BioWare's Austin development studio is using Audiokinetic's Wwise audio solution in the development of its upcoming MMO title.

We're going to have to wait and see...

From a TVG interview of Adam Kahn, the Senior PR Manager at LucasArts :

TVG: That LucasArts/BioWare project certainly sounds interesting. Can you tell us whether that's related to Star Wars at all?

AK : Can't.

TVG: And it's not related to the BioWare MMO project at all?

AK : You're going to have to wait and see on that one.

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