Bioware today announced that they would be bringing their MMO, Star Wars: The Od Republic, to a whole new audience thanks to a new free-to-play mode that will be going live later this fall. The new free-to-play gameplay will include access to all eight of the game's classes, and will allow players to level their characters all the way up to the current level cap of 50. Sounds almost too good to be true, right? Of course, certain restrictions will apply to encourage you freeloaders to spend some of that hard-earned cash in Bioware's immersive sci-fi world.

These restrictions will include limited access to new content and "advanced player features," although the specifics of those features haven't really been detailed as of yet. Even those players who aren't paying for the game via the usual subscription model will be able to unlock select content from this restricted pool using the game's Cartel Coins.

To celebrate this new way to play, The Old Republic will be on sale througout the month of August for $14.99. Better yet, this fifteen bucks will include one month of free subscription, allowing you to get those "restricted" goodies for free before being banished to the depths of the free-to-play content pool.

But what of those players who have been gaming in The Old Republic for months now? Bioware promised that seasoned players will be seeing benefits from the new system, too. Current subscribers will benefit from more frequent and substantial game updates, the first of which will drop (you guessed it) this August. Subscribers will also receive a batch of Cartel Coins which will qualify players to receive special in-game items. Finally, returning players will qualify for even more "special benefits," although Bioware didn't disclose the nature of these benefits.