Good news, fans of Star Wars, The Old Republic, and Bioware: Starting today, you may preorder EA’s upcoming MMO through selected retailers. While supplies last. Yes, if you want to preorder through Origin.com, you will have to go through the arduous “I’m not worthy” process of submitting a request to pre-order, waiting for your confirmation, and hopefully getting a spot. Oh and there’s a $5 “fee” to preorder, and a $20 fee to pre-order the collector’s edition (which is now out of stock).
Don’t worry, the limited supply is not because of something technically related, Bioware is artificially limiting supply:
BioWare has always had a history of delivering high quality experiences for our customers and we are dedicated to making sure that track record continues with Star Wars: The Old Republic. Our focus is on not only delivering a high quality game, but also in developing a thriving online environment. In order to ensure a great user experience we have decided to limit initial launch supply. Further supplies will be released post-launch.
It should also be noted that Origin is not accepting orders from Australian or South American users. But still, The Old Republic must be a great game if players are being billed a “fee” for the privilege of getting in line to possibly preorder a game, right? This is how EA plans to beat Steam in the digital distribution market? It is unknown how this is affecting stores outside of Origin, if at all.
MMO Fallout 