After six years of development, video game maker BioWare is about to release a “Star Wars” game that parent company Electronic Arts Inc. is betting will steer it away from the financial dark side.

Canada-based BioWare’s entire Austin office has been devoted to the game. BioWare was acquired by Electronic Arts in 2007 and has reportedly spent $100 million in making “Star Wars: The Old Republic,” a so-called massively multiplayer online game, or MMO, scheduled to be released this month.

For California-based Electronic Arts (Nasdaq: ERTS), the timing is crucial.