Executive Producer game to free to play model, aswell as staff leaving the company and bugs in game. 6k6y4
Check out his full post on the official site or as a copy paste below:
Jeff Hickman
When we decided to go Free-to-Play earlier this year, we had weeks of discussion with everyone on the team about where we thought the game was going, what we thought was going right and what was going wrong. We uncovered a lot of issues, but three things really stood out:
1. Our game is awesome. People love it and want to play it.
2. The subscription requirement was driving away huge numbers of people who do not want to commit to paying monthly.
3. The frequency of our content fast enough to keep up with the pace at which it was being consumed.
You are now Game Updates out to you every 6 weeks or so. Though each of these efforts is incredibly challenging for the team, they have accepted that challenge and have tackled them head on!
But we know there is more we can do, more you want us to do. So today, I thought it might be more useful to dive into some more granular and “hot” topics.
Topic #1: Staff: Why are some game be affected?
Answer: People leave for a lot of reasons. Some have worked on the project for 6+ years and are simply tired and want to go work on something else. Others may not agree with the direction that the game is heading – Free-to-Play is not for everyone and requires a big shift in thinking and culture within the studio. Still others do not have the right skills for the roles that we have as the studio evolves and changes. When any single person leaves, whether we make the decision or they do, it is difficult, but the studio and game James Ohlen (who was at BioWare from the very start) who continue to help us carry the banner of BioWare and who are dedicated to help evolve and improve Star Wars: The Old Republic.
Topic #2: Bugs: How does testing work? Why do bugs get through? Why did Game Update 1.4 have so many of them? What are we doing to improve the process?
Answer: last of the major issues from Game Update 1.4 and appreciate your patience with that one.
Topic #3: Oceanic populations. Are we doing anything about them?
Answer: We are very aware of the concerns with the playing experience for the Oceanic community.
OK, that is it for now. Please power to take care of the game, and help guide it to a great future.
