Hi, folks! Today marks our 12th anniversary, and what a year it has been. I am once again reflective of everything that has transpired in 2023, and I couldn’t be more proud of the Star Wars™: The Old Republic team. We began the year by deploying the 64-bit client to all players, releasing Galactic Seasons 4 "Passage of Peace”, PvP Season 2 “Piercing the Veil”, and opened a test server in the Asia-Pacific region completely hosted in the cloud. It was an incredible kickoff to the new year, and we were delighted to see a lot of months of prep come to fruition. Midway through the year, the development team transitioned to Broadsword and delivered Game Update 7.3 “Old Wounds” which was full of new content, including a story update, the Shrine of Silence Flashpoint, and an entirely new area on Voss called the Interpreter’s Retreat. Game Update 7.3 also included art modernization, which updated various assets and the environment of the Interpreter’s Retreat. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38349861/f26e0725a5e3e05f7c3e9f23c58c35557694a419.png[/img] Over the following months, we officially moved all of our servers to the cloud! How cool is that? This initiative greatly streamlined our processes and allowed us to make additional upgrades to improve the overall health and stability of the game. On the heels of that migration, we launched Game Update 7.3.1 which came with Galactic Seasons 5 “Confidence in Power” (how about that Loth-Cat kitten pet?) and introduced Ahsoka-inspired items to the game. This collaboration with our friends at LucasFilm was a great deal of fun, and we were ecstatic to see how they resonated within the community. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38349861/87f81f6c02f817e702b35d9e1be153f9eaeb7275.png[/img] Now we find ourselves in the present day. We opened a new server in the APAC region called Shae Vizla, and it was incredible playing alongside new and returning players. I’m about halfway to completing Legendary status! Following the opening of the new server, we launched Game Update 7.4 “Chains in the Dark”, which brings players back to a new area on Ord Mantell to progress the storyline around Heta Kol and the Hidden Chain. [img]{STEAM_CLAN_IMAGE}/38349861/db83fd3d7a4f12719afe6324735cbd4f338145e4.png[/img] I wrote a lot about the accomplishments of the past year and leaving you all with quite a bit to enjoy for the holiday season, but I also do want to give you all a glimpse into 2024. With our next release in 7.4.1, we are doing something pretty cool in Galactic Seasons 6. The story and primary reward of the season will take you back to a location that you haven’t been to in quite some time, and it has quite a view. As we look beyond 7.4.1 and into 7.5, we have some new things planned for our players. I checked in with Lane Vizla, and she thinks that her steady progress on the Basilisk War Droid Prototype could come to a meaningful conclusion (or new beginning?) around that time. I have so many more things I want to tell you about with the upcoming releases, and everything else we have planned for next year with story and events, but alas today is a celebration of our 12th anniversary. I wanted to make sure to leave you with a few nuggets to chew on over the holidays. When we get back from the holiday break, we’ll be preparing for a 7.4.1 livestream that we are tentatively scheduling for February 14th! This livestream will focus mostly on 7.4.1, where we will give you a glimpse of everything that is coming in that update. We’ll also share an early sneak peek of Game Update 7.5 as well. As I said in the 7.4 dev stream, there’s more to come, and we’re looking forward to announcing further details in due time. Before I head out, just a reminder of some things to enjoy during the holiday break. [list] [*] We are running a 50% off Collection Unlock sale from now until January 9, 2024 [*] Life Day is active and will run until January 9, 2024 [*] The Double XP Event begins December 24 and will run until January 4, 2024 [*] The Coruscant and Kaas City Strongholds are discounted to 12 credits (down from 5000) until the next game update [/list] We’re doing something a little different with the Cartel Market sales this year! Right now the following are on sale at a discounted price: [list] [*] Featured Anniversary sales until January 4, 2024 [*] 5-pack: Major Experience Boost [*] Commander's Compendium - 3 Pack [*] Master’s Datacron and Equipment Bundle [*] Thexan's Armor Set [*] Satele Shan's Dualsaber [*] Darth Nul's Lightsaber [*] Tulak Hord's Lightsaber [/list] Daily sales are starting tomorrow and running until January 4, 2024 [list] [*] Elite Mandalorian Bundle (Dec 21) [*] Executioner Lightning Weapon Tuning (Dec 22) [*] Mischief & Anarchy Blaster Pistols (Dec 23) [*] Tau's Lightsaber (Dec 24) [*] Armor of Darth Revan Set (Dec 25) [*] Onderon Guardian Bundle (Dec 26) [*] Dark Side Hssiss Mount (Dec 27) [*] Zakuul Knight Armor Set (Dec 28) [*] Stronghold Cantina Decoration Bundle (Dec 29) [*] Sensuous Dress Armor Set (Dec 30) [*] Heartless Pursuer Armor Set (Dec 31) [*] Imperial Reaper's Armor Set (Jan 1) [*] Incinerator Weapon Tuning (Jan 2) [*] Twisted Fang Lightsaber (Jan 3) [/list] I am genuinely thankful that I get to work with such incredible teams and partners who are both committed to creating the best content possible for SWTOR and working toward improving the tech and platform that runs the game. Of course, I want to send a heartfelt thank you to all of our players who play this wonderful game with us. We wish you all a happy holiday and new year. May the Force be with you. -Keith