LucasArts: Shifting Star Wars Galaxies over to free-to-play “isn’t financially viable”

When it was announced late last month that Star Wars Galaxies would be shutting down on December 15, the news left many SWG fans disappointed, to say the least.

Fans pointed at a transition over to a free-to-play model as a possible solution to make the MMO financially viable again, but LucasArts has shut that option down as well. In a statement provided to GamePro, a LucasArts representative admitted that both Sony Online Entertainment and LucasArts were looking into a free-to-play model as a possible solution, but it was ultimately found to be not “financially viable”.

“Changing the business model for an experience like Star Wars Galaxies takes a major investment and overhauling of the existing infrastructure of the game,” the statement reads. We’re unfortunately at a point in our life cycle where a change of this magnitude is just not possible. The harsh reality is that we’ve reached a point where the game is no longer a sustainable business.”

Star Wars Galaxies is still on schedule to shut down for good on December 15. During the final week of service, LucasArts and SOE will be holding a “galaxy-ending” world event for players to take part in.