Star Wars The Old Republic release date brought forward

Arrives in European stores on December 15, but early access begins as early as December 13.

Star Wars: The Old Republic will launch in Europe on December 15, five days earlier than the previously planned December 20 date, BioWare has announced. The North American launch will go ahead on December 20.

However, the Early Game Access program, open to customers who pre-order the game, will begin on December 13. To be eligible for Early Game Access you must redeem your pre-order code at StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com before the official launch of the game. The length of your Early Game Access depends on the date and order in which you redeemed your Pre-Order Code.

"Star Wars: The Old Republic is a go for launch on December 20," said Dr. Greg Zeschuk, co-founder of BioWare and general manager of the BioWare label's MMO Business Unit. "We are extremely humbled by the surge of players who have joined us on this journey and participated in the Beta Weekend. Their participation has given us the opportunity to stress test the game and allowed us to tune the experience, ensuring that we deliver the smoothest possible MMO launch later this month."

Included with every copy of Star Wars: The Old Republic is 30 days access to the game, after which players can continue to play through subscribing at either £8.99 per month, £25.17 for three months (£8.39 per month) or £46.14 for six months (£7.69 per month).