The success of EA’s latest MMO has proven that gamers are willing to pay for multiplayer gameplay. Given all the moves many console game makers are making, this could be a theme coming to a console near you. In some ways it already has, if you consider the various season passes most shooters are offering. In terms of the MMO world, the only prerequisite for would be players, is that the new MMO be better than the one they are currently playing. And it’s apparent that Star Wars: The Old Republic has some of the best MMO gameplay around.

This MMO has already earned more than a million subscribers…. and counting. It has logged some of the best first week sales and gaming stats seen in an MMO. Of all the MMO’s released last year, The Old Republic is by far the most successful. DC Universe Online didn’t see real success until it adopted the free-to-play model, and Final Fantasy XIV Online is still treading water, in an attempt to avoid becoming a complete failure.

Given what EA & Bioware have done with Star Wars: The Old Republic, the argument that gamers are no longer willing to pay for massively multiplayer experiences, has never been more false. However, it does appear that MMO fans are requiring developers to raise the bar a few notches higher; if, they intend to win over the loyal group. EA’s success has been nothing short of amazing, and its a clear sign that the MMO bar has been raised by their game. On December 23^rd EA released some impressive sales numbers for the Jedi fighting MMO. Three days later, on the December 26^th, they released new numbers revealing an almost double digit growth in subscriptions and play time. Moving up from the more than 1 million sold after the December 20^th launch, an additional six hundred thousand were sold by the 26^th. If you haven’t seen the latest stats on the game, we’ve posted them below along with a few details on what potential players can expect from BioWare’s hit MMORPG. MMO's releasing after this one will have a hard time out performing the Old Republic.

Over a million gamers worldwide celebrated the holidays in front of their PCs with lightsabers, Sith lords and Jedi knights as BioWare™, a Label of Electronic Arts Inc. (NASDAQ: EA), continued to see an unprecedented amount of player engagement for Star Wars™: The Old Republic™. Over this past weekend, players continued to flood the servers of the fastest-growing subscription MMO in history, immersing themselves in the game for over 5.5 million hours. Star Wars: The Old Republic is also proving to be a critical smash hit, with an average review score of 88*, making it the highest rated MMO of 2011, while also winning over 105 industry awards, including “Best Multiplayer Game of 2011” from MSNBC. Enthusiasm for The Old Republic has also gone viral, as over 1.6 million fans have viewed the Jedi vs. Sith Freeze Mob in Times Square on launch day, making it one of the most viewed videos on YouTube during this past weekend.

The Old Republic has been lauded for bringing innovation to the MMO genre by adding fully voiced characters and placing a true emphasis on story and player choice. These new innovations, combined with highly polished gameplay and a smooth service, have led to a number of incredible gameplay achievements from the rabid community, including:

• Over 60 million in-game hours – roughly equivalent to watching all six Star Wars movies over 4 million times
• Over 850,000 Sith Warriors and over 810,000 Jedi Knights created
• Over 260 million quests completed
• Over 44 million PvP battles
• Over 9 million space combat missions completed
• Over 3 billion NPCs killed

Star Wars: The Old Republic is set thousands of years before the classic Star Wars movies, with the Galactic Republic and Sith Empire locked in the middle of an epic, galactic war. Players choose one of eight iconic Star Wars characters, including the Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler, Trooper, Sith Warrior, Sith Inquisitor, Bounty Hunter and Imperial Agent, becoming the hero or villain of their own personal Star Wars saga. Players will team up with friends online, fighting in heroic battles reminiscent of the films, immersing themselves in a galaxy full of vibrant characters and planets, while experiencing visceral Star Wars combat.