Last week, MMORPG.com interviewed BioWare’s Jeff Hickman, Executive Producer of SWTOR and Matthew Bromberg, Studio General Manager on some of the company’s plans and philosophies behind the move to free to play. In the interview, the duo were asked to discuss their plans for aggressive content updates and Cartel Coin items as well as some of the reasoning behind recent staffing adjustments. They were also asked about their outlook on the F2P MMO scene in general, and whether or not other games influenced this highly-debated business model switch.

Here’s an excerpt, regarding BioWare’s stance on “pay-to-win” items and if Cartel Coins (CC) can be used to buy anything that might be seen as headed down that path:

I asked the guys what sorts of stuff CC will buy, knowing just how terrified we all are of Pay-to-Win models, and they assured me they have been paying close attention to what’s okay business practice with RMT and what’s not. Essentially, Cartel Coins will buy a few things: actual in-game content (beyond the 1-50 experience that comes with the game now), vanity items, and convenience items (bank slots, bag slots, character slots, etc). There will be nothing you can buy with CC that will give you an advantage over other players in a competitive arena.

For players who might be worried about the future of Cartel Coin items, this bit of information and the full MMORPG.com article may provide some answers.

By now we’ve all heard the news about SWTOR going hybrid-style free to play this fall. The news has given fans of the game some big questions to ponder. How will BioWare’s F2P model hold up to other F2P games? Is continuing my subscription worthwhile? Will EA/BioWare give in to the ugly beast named “Pay-to-Win”? How will this affect SWTOR’s community? All very excellent questions. And unfortunately, we may not know the answers to them until we see this hybrid model in action. Until that point, all we can do is hope for more information, and do our best to make that all-important decision– what’s the best decision for me?

A major model switch like this will no doubt change a vast number of features, Game Updates, items, guilds, social hubs, and individual playstyles. Some players will find themselves frustrated with the numerous changes, and journey to other pastures. Others will find the F2P model perfect to their gaming style, and enjoy leisurely leveling. Others will happily maintain a paid subscription in order to access all the current updates. One of the best parts about the model BioWare is aiming toward is the fact that, yes, there are options. What feels right to one player might not feel right to the next. So the question becomes: How do we know what’s right for us?