Star Wars: The Old Republic fans can look forward to new content landing on October 1. Game Update 2.4: The Dread War adds additional 4v4 PVP Warzone Arenas and "will invite players to travel to Oricon in the epic finale to the Dread Masters' twisted saga by braving two new Level 55 Operations: The Dread Fortress and The Dread Palace," according to BioWare.

In addition to the new content, SWTOR is also implementing BitRaider streaming so that customers interesting in trying the game can start playing faster instead of waiting for an enormous download.

To entice new and lapsed players, BioWare is offering free access to the Rise of the Hutt Cartel expansion to those who sign up for a subscription above and beyond the free-to-play core game. This raises the level cap, adds new missions and story content, and more.

Our Take:

It's always good to see MMO developers doing what they can to keep players interested in sticking around or luring others back. I'm curious if this will be able to pull players away from current-gen blockbusters like Grand Theft Auto V and next-gen temptations later in the year.