BioWare Not Learning Lessons

Publicly announcing metrics that are easily tracked and can be assumed to denote success or failure… isn’t that kind of how we got here in the first place, with the second most popular subscription MMO in the US/EU being hailed as a failure as it tries to change its fortunes by going free to play?

Support recycled graphics!

So color me mildly disappointed that some lessons remain unlearned as BioWare publicly commits to a major update to Star Wars: The Old Republic every six weeks.

“Well we’re committed to about every six weeks, doing a major update for the game — which would be a new warzone, a new operation, a new flashpoint, a new event — and to doing that on a really frequent cadence, every six weeks. So we’re going to stick to that”

Matt Bromberg, BioWare General Manager

Well, he did say “about” every six weeks.

And I suppose the things he mentions are self-contained enough.

But still, six weeks down the road, nobody is going to remember “about” or “frequent cadence,” they will only be looking at the calendar and saying, “Where is it?”  And if it isn’t there… well, we are back to Failsville, Arizona man.

Not that it cannot be done.  Look at what Trion has done with Rift.

But can BioWare, with its staff reduced and in the midst of a transition to free to play even begin to track to a six week tempo for “major” content updates?  Their track record so far doesn’t support this sort of pace.  Then again, without this sort of pace, they probably won’t succeed.  And I am sure they know it.  I suppose we shall see.

In the mean time, does this spell the end of the fully voices fourth pillar in SWTOR?  Is story dead?