Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicremains one of BioWare’s most iconic games, establishing key parts of the RPG formula the studio would continue to develop throughout theMass EffectandDragon Ageseries. Almost two decades since the release of Revan’s story, many fans are still hoping to return to BioWare’s unique take on the galaxy far, far away sometime in the not-too-distant future.
The future ofStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republichas been subject to a lot of speculation, however. The announcement that several newStar WarsTV shows and games were in development earlier this year had many fans hoping that aKOTORremake—or perhaps even a third game—might be on the way. Here’s a history of theKnights of the Old Republicrumors, why some are more reliable than others, and what it all might mean for the franchise over the next few years.
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The KOTOR Remake
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republiccame out back in 2003, and with BioWare having releasedMass Effect: Legendary Editionearlier this year, it’s no surprise that manyStar Warsfans seeKOTORas a natural candidate for a remake or remaster. Back at the start of the year,Star Warsaccount known as Bespin Bulletin, which has been reliable in the past, stated that aKOTORremake was in development. The claim also stated that EA was not going to be involved in the remake.
Back in AprilBloomberg reporter Jason Schreieralso claimed that aKnights of the Old Republicremake was in development at Aspyr Media on the MinnMax podcast. EA and BioWare, he said, would not be involved. Aspyr Media is known for portingStar Warsgames rather than remaking them. The smaller studio handled the re-releases ofStar Wars Jedi Knight 2: Outcast,Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, and theKOTORgames themselves.
Bespin Bulletin also cited Schreier as one of its sources, so it is possible these rumors are victim to something of an information feedback loop. If nothing else, they depend heavily on Schreier, though like Bespin Bulletin, he has been right before. Doubts remain, however. While many fans are hopeful about theKOTORremake, others have questioned why a studio that has only handled ports so far would be tasked with delivering a full remake of one ofBioWare’s most iconic games.
Any remaster would see considerable upgrades made toKOTOR’s graphics, but the possibility of a full remake also has some fans wondering if they can expect an overhaul ofKnights of the Old Republic’s combat system as well. In April 2021 YouTuberMrMattyPlays claimed thatKOTOR’s combat systemwould undergo an overhaul in the remake. The game’s original combat system was turn-based in the style of earlier RPGs and TTRPGs. It’s still ultimately unknown if Aspyr will try and create more modern combat or stay true to the original, but MrMattyPlays has been discussing the possibility of an Aspyr-madeKOTORremake for some time.
It has been speculated that theKOTORremake is likely still in very early development, and there may be reasons for Aspyr to hold off announcing the game until a later date than necessary. While severalStar Warsgames are reportedly in development from studios like Aspyr andUbisoft Massive, EA still holds the exclusive rights to publish theStar Warsfranchise’s video games for now. It’s possible that fans will get more news once EA’s contract expires.
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Knights Of The Old Republic 3
TheKnights of the Old Republic 3andKOTORremake rumors ultimately have the same origins. A Jason Schreier post from December 2020 mentioned that aKnights of the Old Republic-related project was in the works, but that it wouldn’t be handled by a team linked to EA.
While that game now appears to be theKOTORremakebeing developed at Aspyr Media, some other insiders have suggested that a third game may still be in development. Industry insider Shinobi602 and the Bespin Bulletin podcast both claimed that a new game was in the works. While both seemed to suggest it wasKnights of the Old Republic 3, their comments were also in line with Schreier’s later reports about a remake.
There were a few rumors that a newKnights of the Old Republicgame could be set duringthe High Republic era, a new part of theStar Warstimeline that was announced as the setting of several new pieces ofStar Warsmedia back in 2020. Although some fans were excited by the possibility of a High Republic RPG, there was ultimately little evidence to suggest that a new game was being developed for the High Republic setting specifically.
Knights of the Old Republic 3rumors were fueled by a few more events as well. In February 2021 Aspyr Media was acquired byEmbracer Group, once called THQ Nordic. Embracer Group then announced that Aspyr was going to have a budget of $70 million to work on a triple-A release related to a licensed property.
Some formerBioWare employeeswere even hired by Aspyr around the same time. While this again fueled a lot ofKOTOR 3rumors, it seems likely in light of Jason Schreier’s later comments that this was all in preparation for the development of theKOTORremake.
It’s not all bad news forKOTORfanswho were hoping for a third game, however. If former BioWare developers are on board, the fact that the remake is being handled by Aspyr rather than BioWare directly may not be such a bad thing.
Nevertheless, aKOTORremake seems far more likely at this point than a thirdKOTORgame. While there’s now quite a bit of evidence pointing to aKOTORremake in the works at Aspyr Media, even that has yet to be announced officially. Fans hoping for a third game may not be in luck, and those eager to return toRevan’s storymay have to wait until EA’s Star Wars contract expires for more official news.
AStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicremake is rumored to be in development.
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