How Much Money Does Star Wars: The Old Republic Make Each Day, Month, and Year?

Star Wars: The Old Republic (often abbreviated as SWTOR) has quietly become one of the biggest success stories in the MMO galaxy. This story-driven MMORPG by BioWare launched in late 2011 with a blockbuster budget and high expectations. Years later, many players still adventure in its galaxy far, far away – and that loyal player base translates into a significant revenue stream for the game’s publisher, Electronic Arts (EA). But just how much money does SWTOR actually pull in on a daily, monthly, or yearly basis? Let’s crunch the numbers (in credits, of course) and break it down.

SWTOR’s Lifetime Revenue Milestone

SWTOR may not dominate headlines like it used to, but financially it’s performed impressively over the long haul. In fact, by late 2019 EA announced that Star Wars: The Old Republic was “closing in on $1 billion in lifetime revenue” (1). Believe it or not, this eleven-year-old online game has generated around one billion USD in total revenue to date (2). Hitting the $1 billion mark solidified SWTOR as a bona fide success for EA – a huge turnaround from those early post-launch hiccups when the subscriber count fell and the game transitioned from subscription-only to a hybrid free-to-play model.

This $1B+ lifetime haul is especially noteworthy given the game’s expensive beginnings. (EA reportedly spent about $200 million developing SWTOR (3).) While Star Wars: The Old Republic hasn’t reached Star Wars film levels of profit, it’s certainly proven its worth. EA’s CFO praised SWTOR as “a business that just keeps on going” (1), thanks to steady subscriber support and a cash-shop full of lightsabers and loot. An active community of players continues to buy subscriptions and Cartel Coins (virtual currency) – keeping the galactic credits flowing years after launch.

Annual Earnings – From Launch to Today

When it comes to yearly revenue, SWTOR has seen ups and downs over its lifespan. In its early years, the game enjoyed a surge of income from both subscription fees and the introduction of microtransactions. The pivotal moment was late 2012, when SWTOR switched to a free-to-play model (with optional subscription) to bolster its playerbase. This move paid off handsomely – EA reported in 2013 that the game’s average monthly revenue had more than doubled after going F2P (4). In other words, letting players in for free (and tempting them with paid perks and cosmetic items) actually made the game more profitable.

How much did SWTOR earn at its peak? 2013 was a banner year. According to industry research, SWTOR’s in-game Cartel Market – the cash shop for cosmetic items and unlocks – raked in $139 million in 2013 alone (5). And that figure is just from microtransaction sales. On top of that $139M, the game was still bringing in subscription dollars from hundreds of thousands of subscribers. Combining the two revenue streams, SWTOR likely pulled in well over $200 million during 2013 (5). As one report dryly noted, “I don’t think failed games bring in hundreds of millions a year.” (5) Clearly, SWTOR in its prime was anything but a failure – it was minting money like a busy Kaminoan cloner.

After those early glory days, annual revenues settled down to more modest levels. By fiscal 2014 and 2015, EA’s financial reports indicated SWTOR’s yearly revenue was declining compared to the 2012–2013 peak. This isn’t unusual – most long-running games earn the most in their first couple of years. Even so, SWTOR continued generating tens of millions of dollars per year through the late 2010s, steadily adding to its lifetime total. Spread over nearly eight years (2011–2019), that $1 billion total averages out to roughly $125 million per year (6). In more recent years (2020 and beyond), the yearly revenue is likely lower than the initial boom, but **SWTOR is still believed to bring in on the order of $50–100 million per year for EA. In the cutthroat MMO industry, that’s a very healthy number – enough to keep new expansions coming and the servers humming along.

*(For perspective: at its absolute peak popularity, Blizzard’s World of Warcraft reportedly earned about *$1 billion per year on its own (3). SWTOR’s earnings have never hit those heights, but crossing the billion-dollar mark in total revenue puts it among the genre’s most successful titles. EA itself noted that SWTOR’s ~$1B in eight years is in line with other hit MMOs – not far off games like Guild Wars 2 or Lineage in overall haul (6).)

Monthly Revenue Breakdown

Drilling down further, what does SWTOR’s monthly income look like? If we use the long-term average, the game has grossed about $8–10 million per month over its lifespan. This is simply the lifetime total divided by the number of months – a rough figure, but it gives you a ballpark idea of the monthly cash flow. In reality, monthly revenue has fluctuated a lot depending on content releases, promotions, and the player population at a given time.

During peak periods, SWTOR’s monthly revenue likely far exceeded that average. We can infer this from 2013’s numbers: $139M from the Cartel Market in one year translates to about $11.6 million per month just in item sales. Add the subscription fees from roughly half a million subscribers (around $7.5 million per month in subs if each paid ~$15), and it suggests that in 2013 the game could have been earning on the order of $18–20 million in a single month. Not every month would hit that high, of course – but clearly SWTOR was capable of pulling in well over $15 million in a month when new expansions or popular item packs drove players to spend. Even in more ordinary times, a few million per month in subscription revenue plus a few more million in microtransactions adds up quickly.

Today, with a somewhat smaller active player base, the monthly revenues might not reach those 2013 heights. Nonetheless, SWTOR still likely brings in a solid few million dollars each month from its devoted community of subscribers and free-to-play spenders. The game’s hybrid monetization model (subscription optional, but with an extensive cosmetic cash shop) has proven to be a reliable engine for steady monthly income. As long as players are buying those stylish robes, shiny starfighter mounts, and character boosts, the register keeps ka-chinging every month.

Daily Earnings Estimate

Breaking it down per day, the numbers get even more mind-boggling. At its long-term average of ~$8–10 million per month, Star Wars: The Old Republic would be earning roughly $270,000–$330,000 every single day. Yes, a few hundred thousand dollars per day – that’s the kind of money a successful MMO can generate even outside the spotlight. On days when a new update or item pack drops (or during a big promotion), the daily revenue spike could be substantially higher. During SWTOR’s peak, if the game was making say $600k+ per day on average in a strong month, a single day’s haul might well have been half a million dollars or more. That’s over 40,000 monthly subscriptions or a whole lot of Cartel Coin packs being sold in just 24 hours!

To put it in a fun perspective: each day in 2013, SWTOR likely earned enough money to buy a small fleet of Corellian starships. Even in 2025, with a calmer cadence, it’s still making daily income in the high five or six figures. Not bad for a game that’s been around for over a decade. Every day, thousands of players log in and spend a few bucks on subscriptions or Cartel Market items – and those purchases add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars daily feeding into EA’s coffers.

The Bottom Line

So, how much money does SWTOR make? The short answer is: a lot. To summarize the breakdown in simple terms:

• Lifetime total (since 2011): ~$1 billion+ in revenue (1)
• Per year (average): On the order of $100 million per year (6)
• Per month (average): Roughly $8–10 million per month
• Per day (average): Approximately $300,000 per day, with peak days possibly $500k–$600k+ in revenue

For a game often perceived as “niche” compared to genre giants, SWTOR’s ability to generate six figures a day in sales is pretty remarkable. It speaks to the enduring appeal of the Star Wars universe and BioWare’s content – fans are willing to open their wallets for lightsaber crystals and Jedi robes, it seems! EA certainly “likes those types of businesses” that keep the cash coming in (1), and SWTOR has proven to be a reliable contributor to EA’s bottom line long after its launch hype faded.

In the end, Star Wars: The Old Republic has mastered the art of making money every which way – through upfront subscriptions, microtransaction goodies, and periodic expansion packs. It might not print credits at the astronomical rate of a game like WoW in its prime, but the Force is still strong with SWTOR’s revenue stream. As long as a passionate player base keeps the Republic (and Empire) thriving, this MMO will continue turning a tidy profit every year, month, and day. Not bad for an old Republic, right?

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Sources

(1) GameSpot – SWTOR Has Made Close to $1 Billion in Revenue
(2) Hypebeast – EA Moves SWTOR Development From BioWare
(3) MMOBomb – SWTOR Revenue Context & Comparison
(4) PC Gamer – Monthly Revenue Doubled After F2P
(5) SWTORStrategies – Cartel Market Earned $139 Million
(6) MMOBomb – Long-term Lifetime Revenue Estimates