During a conference call with investors, EA's CEO John Riccitello has revealed that BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO will be a mid-session game that's micro-transaction based, thereby distancing the title from World of Warcraft's model of subscription based payment.

"Other initiatives that we have announced, for example the Star Wars Online MMO, are mid-session games which are micro-transaction based. You'll be hearing more about those in the February call," Riccitello stated.

Despite EA's attempts to douse the flames that Riccitello's comments have ignited (referring to them as a misunderstanding and reminding people that no statements have been made about the game's business model), Riccitello has previously spoken of EA projects that are destined for the Chinese market which use just such a model.

So, what exactly is a mid-session MMO? While traditional hardcore models for MMOs have followed a 'long session' model, which uses subscription-based payments in the traditional WoW format, the alternative 'short session' model for MMOs is typically browser based and aimed at a more casual market.

With this in mind, it seems logical that a mid-session model will blend the two traditional models, with the application of micro-transaction payments providing further evidence for this. EA's Battlefield Heroes will adopt such a micro-transaction model as a free to play game that brings in revenues from in-game ads and the purchase of virtual items by players for use in the game (i.e. micro-transactions).

Could this be an indication that Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO is designed for a more casual market than the likes of WoW, Warhammer Online, or even the KOTOR series itself? The oversized lightsabers that we've seen in screens of the game so far would certainly be indicative of just such a move. As always, we welcome your thoughts in the comments below.