Development to be taken over by Broadsword Online.
Screenshot from the MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic.

According to several reports, notably this one from IGN, EA is close to finalizing a deal that will move development and operation of Star Wars: The Old Republic from BioWare to Broadsword Online Games. Broadsword known for Ultimate Online and Dark Age of Camelot.

A letter of intent has been signed by both Broadsword and EA, with a deal expected to be finalized possibly as early as this month. This deal would move continued development of the MMORPG to Broadsword. Broadsword Online is run by Rob Denton, who co-founded Mythic Entertainment and was a vice-president at BioWare. Denton also previously worked on Star Wars: The Old Republic in its early days.

EA did issue a public statement about this shift.

"Almost 12 years after launch, Star Wars: The Old Republic remains a success and continues to grow its dedicated and passionate community. We’re so proud of the work the team has done, and the future of the game and the community continues to be very bright. We’re evaluating how we give the game and the team the best opportunity to grow and evolve, which includes conversations with Broadsword, a boutique studio that specializes in delivering online, community-driven experiences. Our goal is to do what is best for the game and its players."
IGN's report goes on to say that upwards of 80 people are currently working on The Old Republic. More than half of those current devs are expected to move over to Broadsword. The remaining staff will supposed have a chance to look for roles elsewhere at EA, or they may end up being laid off.

EA will remain the publisher of The Old Republic. Content updates are still planned for the game, including the upcoming patch 7.3 and new PvP season.

Star Wars: The Old Republic lunched in late 2011. It is currently free-to-play and still has a rather active player base.