Posted by Lethality in News | 6 Comments

In case you’ve been hiding under a sand crawler all day and missed it, BioWare made quite an announcement today – the first ever Star Wars: The Old Republic Guild Summit!

In what promises to be the event of the season – catering specifically to the needs of the guild leadership community – BioWare is opening up their Austin studio to allow guild leaders from across the globe to come together to give their input and feedback about the past, present and future of Star Wars: The Old Republic!

TL;DR: First thing’s first. If you’re the leader of a guild in Star Wars: The Old Republic – no matter the size, shape or style – BioWare wants you in Austin! Obviously there’s a finite amount of space available, so be sure to head over to fill out the application ASAP!

We were lucky enough to grab a few minutes of time from Senior Community Manager Stephen Reid and Senior Community Coordinator David Bass to ask them about the Guild Summit, and see what kind of beans we could get them to spill. Luckily, they obliged our request and the Q&A follows.

On a side note, we’ve had the privilege to attend the Fan Site Summits in Austin, and the Guild Summit seems poised to deliver all of that excitement and more, to even more people! If you are one of the lucky attendees, come back here and let us know, and maybe you could even file a report on behalf of Ask A Jedi! We’d love to have you!

Without further adieu, I present Messrs. Stephen Reid and David Bass!

Guild Summit 2012 Q&A – Stephen Reid & David Bass

Ask A Jedi: So, the first Star Wars: The Old Republic Guild Summit! Very cool! Give us all the details! Date? Time? Place?

David Bass: We’re holding the Guild Summit from March 4th-6th here in Austin, TX. We’re going to have guild leaders from all over the world coming out to speak directly with the designers of The Old Republic so that we can gather their feedback first hand, discuss the state of the game and talk about future developments. We’re looking forward to some great discussions!

AAJ: Obviously, guilds are a very important part of an MMO community. Can you tell us a bit about how this whole idea came about?

Stephen Reid: Doing a Guild Summit was one of those big ideas we’ve had for a while; I think we first discussed it in a ‘wouldn’t it be cool if’ sort of way back when we did the first Fansite Summit last year. We’re always listening to the community and getting their feedback across all our channels, but nothing beats a one-on-one, face to face meeting, so this was our ultimate goal.

AAJ: How can guilds be a part of this and possibly attend?

DB: Well, we’ve invited a number of guilds already, but one of the pieces of feedback we saw during the Fansite Summits last year was that people want to have the option of attending events on their own, so we’re opened up an application which you’ll find here. Guild leaders can apply there from now through February 10th, at which point we’ll contact guild leaders and let them know whether we have space for them or not. Obviously we want to allow as many people as possible to attend, but the hotel only has so much space for us, so we’re going to have to limit the capacity.

SR: We really want to stress that guilds of any size or style can apply. We want to host a wide variety of players of all different types, so whether your guild is based around a style of play, a specific theme or maybe you’re just big (or small) we want to hear from you.

AAJ: What kinds of things might attendees expect to see, do and hear about during the festivities?

DB: Guild leaders will take part in numerous roundtable discussions with the developers of the game. As well as general discussions, we’ll have panels devoted to talking about PvE, PvP, and RP, so that each type of guild player has the opportunity to speak directly about their most passionate aspect of the game. In addition, we’ll be giving guild leaders a preview of some upcoming content, and gathering their feedback on features that aren’t in the live game yet.

SR: Of course, we’re holding the event in Austin because we’re based here, so we’re going to take advantage of that by giving attendees a tour of the studio and perhaps giving them the chance to experience some local Austin ‘flavor’ – and I don’t just mean barbecue. (Editor’s Note: If you go, demand barbecue. It’s cliche to say it, but it’s unbelievable in Texas!)

AAJ: Any chance of some exclusive reveals during the Guild Summit?

DB: It is entirely possible!

SR: With that said, we’re not announcing a sequel to the game or anything like that. Also, sorry to disappoint, but Mark Hamill had a conflicting appointment. You’ll have to make do with Daniel Erickson.

AAJ: Are there any plans for a lan-party or tournament type of setup so players can go toe-to-toe, face to face in a Warzone or something? ;)

DB: We’re planning a number of fun events for the guild leaders… I love pitting people against each other. I think a Republic vs. Empire tournament would be almost necessary, don’t you?

AAJ: Will there be a way for the TOR internet community to participate, maybe through a social network, chat or something?

DB: While I can’t dive into details just yet, we do have plans for ways to include people who aren’t able to attend the event for one reason or another. Our goal is to make sure that if you want to be a part of this event, you can be, wherever you are.

SR: Of course, there will be a number of special events that only those on-site will be able to take part in. We’re making sure it’ll be worth the trip for anyone attending.

AAJ: Is this a one-time thing or are there plans for it to recur from time to time?

DB: I think that’s going to depend a lot on the success of this one – but we’re hopeful.

AAJ: Is there anything else you’d like the AAJ Army and TOR community to know about this event, or the future of Star Wars: The Old Republic in general?

DB: I’ve been working on this for a few months now, and I am so excited to finally see it out there. We can’t wait to meet the guild leaders in Austin!

SR: I hope people realize this is really just the beginning of the game and the service – we’re in this for the long haul, and wanted to hold this event so we could get some great feedback from players directly. Hope to see people there!



