SWTOR Devs Are Finally Testing A New And Improved Game Launcher For Non-Steam Players

BioWare has decided to further its agenda to improve the player experience in Star Wars: The Old Republic by conducting testing for a new and improved game launcher for non-Steam players. This updated launcher is supposedly a "much more efficient patching system...closer to the performance already enjoyed by players on Steam," ultimately cutting download times.

According to their blog on the SWTOR website, BioWare released the build this week to a small subset of players to test its capabilities and provide feedback. The launcher itself is separate from the game client and happens before the login screen is enabled, putting players through the familiar loops to get inside the game.

Players will only know if they're participating in testing if a red banner towards the top of their launcher informs them of their selection. Any issues with this launcher should be sent to their blog, while free and preferred accounts can post feedback on the EA site. As of now, if testing goes well with no hitches, they intend to make the launcher live on September 22.

An update is coming to the game launcher. More details can be found here. https://t.co/3RvETX1goj

— The Old Republic (@SWTOR) September 15, 2022

A few questions players brought on for testing might have also been answered on the blog. As long as testers have the latest launcher, they will not have to download anything, but older versions before 7.1a will naturally need to be updated. Furthermore, the updated launcher will not have any noticeable visual changes and players can not opt-out of testing.

The move to update the launcher has been something non-Steam users have been wanting. A player on Twitter recounted how "terrible" it has been "since launch," with another saying it was "a much-needed change" that led to them switching to Steam. Whether BioWare's plan to improve the launcher after testing works is up for debate until September 22 unless we see a setback.