“Blind we are, if creation of this release date we could not see.” – Yoda(?)
OMG, OMG, OMG, squeeeeeeee!! It’s time cue up your favorite Star Wars celebration music and do the Wookiee dance (it’s like the Snoopy dance only furrier) because the launch date for the Old Republic has been announced. OMG, OMG, OMG, squeeeeeeee!!
December 20, 2011. It’s not a date that I would have guessed, but it’s one that makes perfect sense. Star Wars Galaxies (SWG) is officially ending on December 15th. With the possible exception of early access, fans of SWG will get to enjoy the grand finale without feeling like they’re missing out by not logging into SWTOR. That’s a +5 to classy moves for BioWare.
And the there’s the whole Blizzard conspiracy theory. Grab your tin foil hats and sit back. The rumor is that this release date has been established for some time, and that Blizzard got wind of it, and radically changed their plans for Cataclysm.
In the wake of dwindling subscription numbers, Blizzard opted to eliminate an entire tier of content and make the next content patch be the Deathwing raid, and the final content patch of Cataclysm. Oh, and the anticipated release of patch 4.3? You guessed it, December 2011. You can remove your tin foil hats now.
So December 20, 2011 is the big date. Would I have loved for it to come out sooner? Absolutely, but am I surprised by the date they chose? Not really. That said, I certainly didn’t guess it either.
Blind am I, but how about you, did you call it or were you surprised?
Honestly not surprised. Though it is somewhat amusing to see WoW grasping at straws while a new game releases with a better IP.
The date for the SWTOR launch is pretty much what I had expected it to be. It’s within their “2011 target window” and also allows them to squeeze out as much dev time as possible before the holidays hit. It also avoids most of the (previously announced) big releases by a good chunk of time, and like you mentioned; it respectfully gives the SWG closing some breathing room.
On a personal level, when Dec 20th rolls around, I’ll be ready. I will have probably just finished Skyrim, and no doubt I’ll be shot (and bored) to pieces from hours and hours of camping in Battlefield 3. For me, the SWTOR release date could not be better.
Now for Blizzard. What you speak of is very interesting, Darkbrew. I was unaware that they were going to bypass a full tier of content and instead start right in on the Deathwing stuff. Tell me, was this “missing tier of content” previously announced, and if so… is it going to be now included in the Deathwing patch?
I’d think that the taste in the mouths of Blizzard’s most loyal, must at this point be getting a tad sour with their attitude of “release-content-to-steal-competitor’s-spotlight” that some members of the press keep highlighting. Did this exact thing not just happen six months ago during Rift’s launch? I’m very curious as to what the average current/active WoW player thinks about this (obvious) pure business strategy. Hmm.
(Sorry for the wall of text reply =)
When Cataclysm was being developed they talked about an additional 5-main in the Abyssal Maw as well as the Caverns of Time – War of the Ancients Raid.
They’ve now dumped the 5-man and the story of Neptulon, and whatever they planned for that raid is now going to be a 5-man in patch 4.3. It pretty much leads one to the conclusion that they had planned another tier, but opted to give us Deathwing and focus on their next expansion.