Years of rumor have centered on the speculation the next installment of Bioware’s Knights of the Old Republic series would, in fact, be a massively multiplayer online game. Circumstantial evidence throughout the years seemed to support this theory, but it was never confirmed, until very recently.

In an interview with Condé Nast Portfolio this week, Electronic Arts chief executive John Riccitiello confirmed that Bioware is currently working on an MMO title in partnership with LucasArts as part of the Knights of the Old Republic series. The upcoming game represents EA’s increasing focus on MMO games as a whole, including the company’s upcoming Warhammer Online and recent investment in Chinese MMO operator The9, Ltd.

The upcoming Knights of the Old Republic MMO, as a PC title, also indicates EA’s expectations of growth in the PC market. While console and handheld games currently comprise about two thirds of the industry’s efforts, Riccitiello communicated his belief that by 2011, that figure would fifty percent. He said that this focus on PC gaming would better allow EA not only cater to a more international audience, but also focus more on “direct-to-consumer” business, insinuating an intent to bypass both console manufacturers and retailers.

Riccitiello went on to talk about the company’s focus on mergers and acquisitions, particularly when the companies have important properties or a large stake in the Asian market, as was the case with Bioware and The9, respectively. He also discussed the growth of the industry as a whole and projections of greater profits for EA this year, none of which should come as a surprise to anyone. The only real surprise was the long-awaited confirmation of the Knights of the Old Republic MMO, and we’ll do our best to keep you up-to-date as more details are revealed.