Star Wars: The Old Republic adding PvP space combat

Nearly two years after launch, Star Wars: The Old Republic will add Player-vs-Player space combat through the Galactic Starfighter expansion set to launch in December, BioWare has announced.

In addition to 12v12 space battles, the free Galactic Starfighter expansion features new starships, a "wide set" of customization and upgrade options, multiple battle zones, and new gameplay modes.

Active Star Wars: The Old Republic subscribers will be offered early access to Galactic Starfighter starting on December 3, while the content will be available for preferred status players (those who purchase anything from the online store) beginning on January 14.

The Galactic Starfighter expansion will be offered for all other players last, starting on February 4, 2014.

"Galactic Starfighter will be a deep experience that will continue to grow over time," BioWare Austin general manager Jeff Hickman said in a statement. "We can't wait for both our current and new players to get their hands on it soon."

[CORRECTION] An earlier version of this story failed to mention that Star Wars: The Old Republic already had PvP. GameSpot regrets the error.