This concerns me; as it should any other loyal fan of this game. If it goes free to play, does that mean the quality of future content degrades? I assume that a store would be added to buy aesthetic additions, but what happens to people who have been paying for the game all this time?
Star Wars: The Old Republic definitely has its flaws right now. But one thing I've always loved about it is the fact that the developers are constantly working on making it better. I haven't seen any other mmo compare to the speed and quality that Bioware provides to update their game and improve it. The game is definitely a World of Warcraft clone, but when you compare the quality to Blizzard's work, it is far superior. Bioware has released more content and features in the last 6 months than Blizzard has in the last year, and has plans to release even more. The E3 announcement boggled my mind. They're releasing stuff that Blizzard would charge you $40 to have; and then they top it off by continually following up on their promises and releasing major updates every 2 months. Not to mention the graphics engine is much more modern (being a 3D animation artist myself, I know that it can be tough work to make an environment as large and as detailed as SWToR).
I for one think that the $15 a month is worth it and I know that this game could definitely take a shining spot-light if it continues to improve upon itself at the rate it is currently. But if it goes free to play, what happens then? I don't want to see the quality of the game go to hell just to boost its population more quickly.
Basically my message to Bioware is this. Please don't sell out - you guys are doing great and if you keep working at it you will come out on top.