Layoffs hit Star Wars: The Old Republic

Bioware have announced that they’re shrinking the Austin studio responsible for developing The Old Republic. Gamesindustry International report that members of the development team are being let go entirely or moved onto other projects within EA. “We are bidding farewell to some talented, passionate and exceptionally hard-working people who helped make SWTOR a reality,” said Bioware co-founder, Greg Zeschuk.

“We still have a very substantial development team working on supporting and growing the game,” he added, “and we feel we are in a strong position, with your continued involvement and feedback, to continue to build Star Wars: The Old Republic as one of the most compelling and successful online experiences in the world today.”
“These are very difficult decisions, but it allows us to focus our staff to maintain and grow Star Wars: The Old Republic,” said EA in a statement.
A couple of weeks ago we learned that subscription numbers for Star Wars: The Old Republic had dipped to 1.3 million, 23% down on earlier figures. There’s still plenty in the pipe for TOR fans to look forward to, though. The upcoming 1.3 update will add some much-requested features like a group finder tool and server transfer support. Hopefully we’ll see more new quests, planets and events like the recent Rakghoul infection as TOR continues to mature.