Star Wars: The Old Republic has had bigger expansions since. Flashier ones too. But 13 years after its launch, Rise of the Hutt Cartel still feels like the moment SWTOR proved it could actually grow beyond its original box. BioWare announced in March 2013 that the game’s first digital expansion would launch worldwide on April 14, 2013, with early access beginning on April 9. That made Rise of the Hutt Cartel more than just new content. It was SWTOR’s first real test as a live MMO expansion machine. Set on Makeb, the expansion pushed the level cap from 50 to 55 and dropped players into a story about the Hutt Cartel trying to become a major galactic power while the planet itself sat on the edge of disaster. BioWare’s launch announcement framed it as the first digital expansion for the MMO, while later reference material notes Makeb’s faction-specific storylines and…
SWTOR expansions
Star Wars Games (2012–2018): The EA Exclusive Era
When we closed the book on 2006–2012, it felt like LucasArts was wobbling. When 2012–2018 began, the wobble turned into a restructuring. And everyone felt it. This wasn’t a loud collapse. It wasn’t dramatic overnight silence. It was something slower and stranger — like watching the galaxy shift ownership while you were still standing in it. In April 2013, Disney shut down internal development at LucasArts.In May 2013, Electronic Arts was announced as the exclusive publisher for core Star Wars console and PC games. And just like that, an era ended. But what followed wasn’t a drought. It was a recalibration. Where This Era Sits in the Timeline If you’re reading this as part of the complete SWTORStrategies Star Wars Games archive, here’s the path so far: Now we enter 2012–2018. This is the EA Exclusive Era. And it is defined by two forces working at the same time: It’s…
Shadow of Revan Turns 11: Celebrating One of SWTOR’s Most Iconic Expansions
On December 9, 2014, Star Wars: The Old Republic dropped one of its most beloved expansions — Shadow of Revan — and changed the game forever.Yes, it’s officially been 11 years since Revan returned to the spotlight, raised an army, and delivered one of the most quotable threats in the entire SWTOR storyline: “War is coming. Conflict on a scale we’ve never seen. Revan has forged an army with a single purpose — to change the galaxy forever. Empire. Republic. We must unite, or fall.” And honestly? Eleven years later, that line still hits just as hard. Why Shadow of Revan Stands Out In the long history of SWTOR, Shadow of Revan wasn’t just another expansion. It was a pivot — a story that connected Knights of the Old Republic, SWTOR’s evolving narrative, and the larger mythos of Revan into one huge, dramatic arc. Players got: It was the moment…