SWTOR and the Public PAX Showdown

So the pre-PAX hype is upon us in full swing, and there are going to be tons of games and developers for the unwashed masses to meet this weekend. Sadly, plans didn’t come together and I won’t be at PAX, but I’ll definitely be following all the news about my favorite games from the show for sure.

One thing I’m definitely keeping my eye on is Bioware‘s public demo of Star Wars: The Old Republic. While this demo is probably one that fans have probably heard about from the press for a while (the Smuggler PvE quests and the Star Destroyer Captain quest), I’m pretty happy about this happening for a variety of reasons. The first is attached to, simply, pure guts on the part of Bioware. It’s something to put out a gameplay video and drop a bit of playtime for the press. It’s entirely another to open up your game, however tiny that hole is, to the masses to have a look at it, criticize it, and play it. The fact that Bioware is this far along in development to provide a work demo of their game is a heartening thing to see.

Another reason is simply for the fact that Bioware, even though they are going to be kicking it into high gear at PAX, is essentially playing the wait and see game. With other titles already out, like WAR, AoC, and others, and new games like Champions and Aion, Bioware can reap the benefits of not being first out of the gate with MMO releases, allowing them to get a leg up on how the community perceives successful launch and a post-launch product. All indications seem to point to a release late next year, considering no one is even in beta yet, so this gives Bioware ample time to not only pimp the game at PAX but elsewhere as well.

PAX is in many ways a perfect venue for Bioware to showcase their game. Unlike others, they don’t have to waste time trying to draw people in or familiarize them with the content. The kind of audience that attends PAX is surely the kind that has heard of Star Wars, if not Bioware themselves, so there will be plenty of opportunity to grab new converts to the fold and hold them close until the game is in a state where others can play it beyond the show floor.

There’s going to be a ton of great stuff on the PAX floor this weekend – but I think Bioware is going to have a good time presenting their product to the public and the fansites for the first time. I look forward to all the fan impressions.