BioWare have announced that its upcoming Star Wars MMO, Star Wars: The Old Republic will be launching this December.

Slated for release in North America on December 20, and in Europe on December 22 the game lets players explore the Star Wars universe as one of eight classes including Jedi Knights and Sith Warriors.

"In 1977, Lucasfilm created magic with the release of Star Wars. Our goal is to capture some of that magic when we go live with Star Wars: The Old Republic on December 20," said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Co-Founder, BioWare and General Manager, BioWare Label. "This is an incredible moment for everyone at BioWare and our partners at Lucas Arts who have dedicated so much of their lives to building this extraordinary game."

Added Dr. Greg Zeschuk, Co-Founder, BioWare and General Manager of the MMO Business Unit of BioWare, "We appreciate the patience of the millions of fans who have been waiting for the game's release. When we launch this groundbreaking MMO with world class storytelling this holiday season, we hope you will agree that it was worth the wait."

Pre-orders of the game have been high and anyone who does pre-order it before the release date will get early access to the game.