In an event dedicated to the announcement, Bioware and LucasArts jointly revealed their much anticipated, much-rumoured massively multiplayer online game set in the Star Wars universe.

Entitled Star Wars: The Old Republic, in development for the PC, the game is set roughly 300 years after the events of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic RPGs and thousands of years before Darth Vader makes an appearance. The Old Republic is said to represent ‘an innovative approach to interactive entertainment, featuring immersive storytelling, dynamic combat and intelligent companion characters.’

Players will be able to choose between a Sith, Jedi or other ancillary characters in the Star Wars universe as they journey through the game, edging every closer to either the Light or the Dark side. Players will also be able to team up with companions (presumably non-player characters) who will fight alongside you, either befriending or betraying you, based on your actions. President of LucasArts, Darrell Rodriguez, commented:

“For a long time, we’ve wanted to return to the franchise in a grand way, and we felt that the best setting for it was an online world that would allow millions of people to participate in the experience together. We knew that the developer capable of working with us to deliver an engrossing story with a fully-realized online world was BioWare.”

“Traditionally, massively multiplayer online games have been about three basic gameplay pillars - combat, exploration and character progression,” added Dr. Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder and General Manager/CEO of BioWare and General Manager/Vice President of Electronic Arts Inc., “In Star Wars: The Old Republic, we’re fusing BioWare’s heritage of critically-acclaimed storytelling with the amazing pedigree of Lucasfilm and LucasArts, and adding a brand-new fourth pillar to the equation – story.”

Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Co-Founder and Vice President Development Operations, BioWare and Vice President, Electronic Arts Inc., continued Muzyka’s sentiment; “Our goal is to offer players an emotionally rewarding experience that combines the traditional elements of MMO gameplay with innovations in story and character development.”

For more information, you can check out the Star Wars: The Old Republic website.