Star Wars MMO getting two new expansions; will players come back?

BioWare today announced a 2014 roadmap for Star Wars: The Old Republic that includes two all-new digital expansions for the free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game.

One of these expansions will be similar in scope to the Galactic Starfighter add-on (released today), while the other will more closely resemble the Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion. No official details on what might be included with these upcoming expansions was announced, but when you have the Star Wars universe to play with, the sky would seem to be the limit.

Also in 2014, BioWare said it plans to deliver new PvP Seasons, Flashpoints, Operations, gear, performance improves, and Class changes. The developer cautioned fans that plans might change, but right now the plan is to deliver the two expansions and all other new content later this year.

On the more immediate horizon, BioWare said players can expect a double XP weekend March 14-17, and the arrival of game update 2.7 on April 8 and update 2.8 on June 10. Update 2.7 adds new Flashpoints and a Galactic Starfighter battle zone, while update 2.8 will introduce the Nightmare Mode Dread Palace Operation and new ships.

Finally, BioWare said it is moving to a three-week cycle (from two) between patches so that the developer has more time to test features and functionality.

"We feel the benefit of catching pesky bugs and improving quality is worth it and we remain committed to hitting our deadlines for all of our major content updates this year," senior producer Bruce Maclean said on the game's website.

Star Wars: The Old Republic launched in 2011 after its development reportedly cost $200 million for publisher Electronic Arts. The game failed to attract a wide enough userbase to sustain its subscription-based model and switched to free-to-play just 11 months after release.

It is unclear how significant a revenue driver The Old Republic is for EA or how many people are actively playing the game. The company made no mention whatsoever of the game during its latest financial report last week.

Is the announcement of new expansions and other content enough to get you to come back to The Old Republic? Let us know in the comments below!