Star Wars: The Old Republic lead writer calls it "heartbreaking" there was "no mention" of the MMO in BioWare's goodbye

Following the recent EA buyout, the sad news of BioWare's closure came to light yesterday, alongside a statement from the studio – one that notably doesn't mention Star Wars: The Old Republic, its nearly 15-year-old MMO.

The statement, which also details the end of Mass Effect 5, BioWare's never-released RPG, notes several titles that helped shape the company: Baldur's Gate, Neverwinter Nights, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Dragon Age, and Anthem.

It does not, however, bring Star Wars: The Old Republic up in any shape or form – and that's caught the attention of the MMO's lead writer, Caitlin Sullivan Kelly.

Replying to BioWare's goodbye message over on X, Kelly writes, "No mention of the game that's been going for almost fifteen years, that supported the studio and all of its projects with income and manpower and time (sometimes to our own detriment)," alluding to SWTOR. "Heartbreaking."

Her take here is understandable, considering the influence The Old Republic has had and how long it's persisted, too.

It still stands the test of time as a beloved MMO in many players' hearts, and it's also served as a massive narrative anchor for the Knights of the Old Republic timeline.

Heck, I've even seen fans alleging that it'll somehow "outlive" Star Wars as a whole – it's clearly not small potatoes by any means. And, seeing it press on after BioWare solidifies that, I suppose. A mention wouldn't have been out of place or out of line.

As for what the future holds for BioWare… Well, there's some hope that its shutdown could lead to Mass Effect and Dragon Age rights being sold, as studio veteran Mark Darrah stated – but EA could just as easily "bury them in the vault," so to speak. Mind you, if the alleged Mass Effect 5 trailer doing the rounds is real, that's just made it harder to do.

I do hope the former possibility somehow comes to fruition, although I'm not sure how or where it would. Only time will tell at this point.

Mass Effect 5 was "something special", dev says – it was BioWare's response to what Baldur's Gate 3 and Cyberpunk 2077 devs "were bringing to the table"