Star Wars: The Old Republic will be set in the era of the KOTOR games, millennia before the Clone Wars...

The KOTOR MMO, one of the worst kept secrets in games, has finally been officially announced by LucasArts and BioWare. Star Wars: The Old Republic will be set in the same timeframe as the original RPG titles on Xbox and PC.

In this new MMO, players will be able to choose between Jedi and Sith (as well as a range of other Star Wars characters), all with distinctive lightside and darkside paths to travel down. Finding companions to fight alongside you will also be a key gameplay feature as the wrong choice could end up in betrayal.

"Traditionally, massively multiplayer online games have been about three basic gameplay pillars - combat, exploration and character progression," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder and General Manager/CEO of BioWare and General Manager/Vice President of Electronic Arts Inc. "In Star Wars: The Old Republic, we're fusing BioWare's heritage of critically-acclaimed storytelling with the amazing pedigree of Lucasfilm and LucasArts, and adding a brand-new fourth pillar to the equation - story. At the same time, we will still deliver all the fun features and activities that fans have come to expect in a triple-A massively multiplayer online game. To top it all off, Star Wars: The Old Republic is set in a very exciting, dynamic period in the Star Wars universe."

Star Wars: The Old Republic is currently slated for release on PC only and, as far as release dates are concerned, the most tangible info we have (from a John Ricitello investor conference) is 2010/2011.