Star Wars: The Old Republic Pre-order Offer Launched

Yesterday's leak already gave us most of the details, but BioWare has just launched their pre-order offers for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Whatever version of the game you're going to pre-order you will be granted "Early Game access" and a "Color Stone (virtual item)", while the specific different editions include:
Collector's Edition

Exclusive Gentle Giant Darth Malgus statue
Game disks collectible metal case
The Journal of Master Gnost-Dural as annotated by Satele Shan
The Old Republic galaxy map
Custom Security Authentication Key
Music of Star Wars: The Old Republic CD
High-quality Collector's Edition box

Includes 7 Additional Digital Items:
Flare Gun
Training Droid
HoloDancer
HoloCam
STAP
Exclusive Mouse Droid
Exclusive Collector's Edition Store

Digital Deluxe Edition

Includes 5 Additional Digital Items:
Flare Gun
Training Droid
HoloDancer
HoloCam
STAP

Should you have questions about this offer, BioWare has a FAQ. Here's a snippet on the promised "Early Game access":
What is Early Game Access?

Early Game Access for Star Wars: The Old Republic is an opportunity for those who have pre-ordered the Game to start playing before the Game's official release. Pre-order customers will be allowed to play the Game from when Early Game Access starts until launch without obligation.

When does Early Game Access begin?

Early Game Access will begin prior to the official release of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Precise dates will be revealed at a later time.

When does Early Game Access end?

Early Game Access will end on the day that Star Wars: The Old Republic is officially released to the general public.

If you intend to get the game anyway, you can earn GameBanshee a small kickback by ordering it from Amazon.

UPDATE: And here's the official press release:
EA UNVEILS SPECIAL EDITIONS OF STAR WARS: THE OLD REPUBLIC AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDER STARTING TODAY

Early Game Access and Exclusive In-Game Content Announced for Highly Anticipated MMO with all Pre-Orders Beginning Today

Star Wars: The Old Republic Beta Test Weekends to Start this September

Austin, Texas July 21, 2011 The start of your personal Star Warsâ„¢ saga grows nearer! BioWare, a division of Electronic Arts (NASDAQ: ERTS) today revealed three editions of Star Warsâ„¢: The Old Republicâ„¢, each custom-designed to delight RPG and Star Wars fans worldwide. The Star Wars: The Old Republic Collector's Edition, Digital Deluxe Edition and Standard Edition are available for pre-order today at participating retailers*, with digital versions available exclusively at Originâ„¢ (http://preorder.origin.com).  Upon pre-order, players will be granted a redemption code that will unlock early game access** as well as an in-game color stone to change your weapon effect. Pre-order quantities are limited and Early Game Access will only be available to those who pre-order the game and redeem their code before the game's official release.    

Star Wars: The Old Republic has been honored with over 95 industry awards and accolades from game critics worldwide and continues to be one of the most anticipated launches of 2011.  The game innovates and advances the MMO genre by emphasizing story as a key pillar of the experience a proven strength of BioWare and Lucasfilm. As anticipation grows, BioWare also proudly announced today that Star Wars: The Old Republic will open (Beta Test Weekends) starting this September. These weekend play sessions will be open to selected players worldwide and create an opportunity for fans to get a sneak peek of the epic stories, worlds, quests, battles and characters in the game. Please visit www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com to register for game testing and to stay tuned throughout the summer for more details as they become available.

(We are targeting Star Wars: The Old Republic to be one of the biggest launches of holiday 2011,) said Dr. Ray Muzyka, Group General Manager and Co-Founder, BioWare and Senior Vice President, Electronic Arts. (Our teams at BioWare and EA, along with our partners at LucasArts, are laser-focused on creating a high quality game, but just as importantly, they are resolute in delivering a high quality service. We are taking all of the necessary steps to make sure The Old Republic has a thriving community built on a stable online foundation from day one, including limiting supply at launch to ensure that players easily transition into the servers. So whether you're waiting to join the Empire or the Republic, pre-order now to ensure you can enter the galaxy at launch!)

The three editions of Star Wars: The Old Republic are:

'¢ Star Wars: The Old Republic Collector's Edition The Collector's Edition includes a host of virtual in-game and physical items for the ultimate Star Wars fan. Physical items include a Darth Malgus Statue from Gentle Giant, the journal of Jedi Master Gnost Dural from Chronicle Books, The Music of The Old Republic soundtrack, a security key and a map of the in-game Star Wars galaxy. Virtual items include a Flare Gun, Training Droid, personal HoloDancer, HoloCam, the STAP vehicle and access to the Collector's Store, an in-game store with new in-game items exclusively for owners of the Collector's Edition. The Collector's Edition will also include 30 days of game time and has an MSRP of $149.99 (USD) at participating retailers.

'¢ Star Wars: The Old Republic Digital Deluxe Edition The Digital Deluxe Edition has an MSRP of $79.99 (USD) and includes 30 days of game time and five virtual items, including the Flare Gun, Training Droid, personal HoloDancer, HoloCam and the STAP vehicle.

'¢ Star Wars: The Old Republic Standard Edition The base edition of the game is available at retailers and online for an MSRP of $59.99 (USD) and includes 30 days of game time.

Star Wars: The Old Republic has been lauded for breaking new ground in the genre by building on traditional MMO gameplay pillars of combat, exploration and character progression, and adding a fourth dimension to the experience story. The Old Republic is set thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader, when the galaxy is in the midst of a cold war. Players will be asked to join forces with either the Galactic Republic or Sith Empire and choose one of eight iconic Star Wars characters: Jedi Knight, Jedi Consular, Smuggler, Trooper, Bounty Hunter, Imperial Agent, Sith Inquisitor and Sith Warrior. Every player's story will unfold based on meaningful choices made throughout the game, enabling them to becomethe hero of their own personal Star Wars saga. Along their journey players will encounter companion characters with which players can build or break meaningful relationships as they join in your journeys and fight at your side.  Throughout their adventures, players will be immersed in a vibrant galaxy of planets, engage in heroic battles and experience visceral Star Wars combat.

For more information on Star Wars: The Old Republic, pre-order details and special editions, please visit http://www.starwarstheoldrepublic.com/preorder, follow the game on Twitter at http://twitter.com/swtor or (Like) Star Wars: The Old Republic on Facebook at http://facebook.com/starwarstheoldrepublic.

* Conditions and restrictions apply. See www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com/preorder for details.
**Codes are redeemable at www.StarWarsTheOldRepublic.com/preorder. Pre-order quantities are limited and will be processed in the order they are received.

About Lucasfilm Ltd.
Lucasfilm Ltd. is one of the world's leading film and entertainment companies. Founded by George Lucas in 1971, it is a privately held, fully-integrated entertainment company.  In addition to its motion-picture and television production operations, the company's global activities include Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound, serving the digital needs of the entertainment industry for visual-effects and audio post-production; LucasArts, a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide; Lucas Licensing, which manages the global merchandising activities for Lucasfilm's entertainment properties; Lucasfilm Animation, which is currently producing content for film and television, including Star Wars: The Clone Wars, a CG-animated half-hour television series; and Lucas Online creates Internet-based content for Lucasfilm's entertainment properties and businesses. Additionally, Lucasfilm Singapore produces digital animated content for film and television, as well as visual effects for feature films and multi-platform games. Lucasfilm's motion-picture productions include three of the 20 biggest box-office hits of all time and have received 19 Oscars and more than 60 Academy Award nominations. Lucasfilm's television projects have won 12 Emmy Awards.  Lucasfilm Ltd. is headquartered in San Francisco, Calif. LucasArts, a Lucasfilm Ltd. company, is a leading developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software worldwide for video game console systems, computers and the Internet. Based in San Francisco, Calif., as well as on the Internet at www.lucasarts.com, LucasArts was created in 1982 by George Lucas to provide an interactive element to his vision of a state-of-the-art, multifaceted entertainment company.

About BioWare
BioWare develops high quality console, PC and online role-playing games, focused on rich stories, unforgettable characters and vast worlds to discover. Since 1995, BioWare has created some of the world's most critically acclaimed titles, including Baldur's Gateâ„¢, Neverwinter Nightsâ„¢, Star Wars®: Knights of the Old Republicâ„¢, Jade Empireâ„¢, Mass Effectâ„¢ and Dragon Ageâ„¢. BioWare operates in Edmonton (Alberta, Canada), Montreal (Quebec), Austin (Texas), Fairfax (Virginia) and Galway (Ireland). Currently announced projects at BioWare include the ongoing downloadable content for Dragon Age II, Mass Effect 3 and Star Wars®: The Old RepublicTM. In 2008, BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts, a leading global interactive entertainment publisher.

For more information on BioWare, visit www.bioware.com or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/biofeed. To join the millions of fans already registered on our community, go to http://social.bioware.com.

About Electronic Arts
Electronic Arts (NASDAQ:ERTS) is a global leader in digital interactive entertainment. The Company's game franchises are offered as both packaged goods products and online services delivered through Internet-connected consoles, personal computers, mobile phones and tablets. EA has more than 100 million registered players and operates in 75 countries.

In fiscal 2011, EA posted GAAP net revenue of $3.6 billion. Headquartered in Redwood City, California, EA is recognized for critically acclaimed, high-quality blockbuster franchises such as The Simsâ„¢, Madden NFL, FIFA Soccer, Need for Speedâ„¢, Battlefield, and Mass Effectâ„¢. More information about EA is available at http://info.ea.com.