Did Electronic Arts Just Cancel Star Wars: The Old Republic?

Electronic Arts

will soon allow consumers to play Star Wars: The Old Republic for free. Is this the beginning of the end for EA's flagship MMORPG?

Fans of the game may argue that Activision

pulled a similar stunt with World of Warcraft. But WoW is an established franchise with annual expansion packs and a legion of fans unlike any other. The game's worldwide presence is not to be denied. Star Wars: The Old Republic, however, is the new kid on the block. It arrived with a big-name franchise attached, a mountain of fanfare, and a galaxy full of marketing hype. The game has yet to catch on with consumers, who are increasingly wary of paying $40 for the software plus $10 to $15 every month to continue playing the game online. MMORPGs (Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, for those who were unaware) do not have any value outside of their multiplayer experiences. Thus, users are

to pay the monthly fee. By eliminating the monthly fee for users who are only interested in playing up to level 50, EA is clearly hoping to attract new customers. The company will also reduce the game's MSRP to $14.99 this month. As of this writing, however, GameStop

still sells the game for

. Best Buy

and Wal-Mart

are

the same

. Amazon

and Target

are the only major retailers that offer any alternatives. Amazon.com sells Star Wars: The Old Republic for

than its big-box competitors, while Target maintains the game's

of $59.99. Whatever consumers choose to pay, Star Wars: The Old Republic will only get cheaper with time. And with every price reduction and every free-to-play opportunity, the game moves further and further away from profitability. At this stage, EA still hopes to turn the game around. But for EA to pull this off, the company must first convince people to play the game -- at any cost, apparently (hence the free version). Second, EA must convert all free players to paying customers. This sounds like a realistic goal. But it has not kept World of Warcraft (Star Wars: The Old Republic's biggest competitor) from

. World of Warcraft's troubles may be nothing compared to the challenges that EA has been facing and may continue to face in the months ahead, however. In May, EA revealed that Star Wars: The Old Republic had sold roughly 2.4 million copies. On a sales basis, this is good news. But of those 2.4 million buyers, only

to the monthly service. In previous months, the game had as many as 1.7 million players. Inevitably, some subscribers are consumers who take the free month offer (included with every copy of the game) and leave as soon as the trial is up. But if players were willing to spend $40 to $60 on the software and walk away, are they really more likely to stick around now that the MSRP is about to drop? Consumers play what they enjoy. And if Star Wars: The Old Republic was not enjoyable enough to hook consumers before, the new price point is unlikely to make a difference.