- "With Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake, our hope is to give both series newcomers and long-term fans an experience that can live alongside the very best modern releases. We're rebuilding it from the ground up with the latest tech to match the groundbreaking standard of innovation established by the original, all while staying true to its revered story."
- ―Ryan Treadwell
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake also styled as KOTOR – Remake, is a forthcoming remake of the 2003 BioWare video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. First revealed at the Sony PlayStation Showcase event on September 9, 2021, the game was initially announced to be made by Aspyr Media, which had previously ported Knights of the Old Republic to modern consoles,[3] and is planned to be exclusive to the PlayStation 5 console and PC at launch.[1]
On July 26, 2022, Bloomberg News reported that development on Remake had been indefinitely halted,[5] though as of May 2023 Aspyr's parent company Embracer Group maintains that the game will eventually be released.[6] On April 2, 2024, Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch confirmed that the Remake is "alive and well."[7]
Development[]
The game was officially revealed with a short teaser trailer during the PlayStation Showcase on September 9, 2021, with no release date mentioned.[1] According to journalist Jason Schreier, the project had been in development for nearly three years at that point, with Aspyr Media studio heads hoping to release Remake by the end of 2022.[5] Multiple members of the original Knights of the Old Republic BioWare team were brought on to work on the remake, with producer Ryan Treadwell stating that one of the goals of the team was to ensure that the game could "live alongside the very best modern releases" while staying true to the original's "revered story."[3] In November 2021, writer Sam Maggs left the project, having worked on the game for nine months.[8][9]
On May 19, 2022, Aspyr's parent organization Embracer Group announced that the studio would be joined by Saber Interactive in developing the game. Embracer board member Matthew Karch stated that the remake was a "massive, massive product" but assured that the final game would be "fantastic," with more information to come in the following months.[2] At Celebration Anaheim in May 2022, figures in The Black Series line of action figures were announced for the characters Darth Malak and Bastila Shan. These products were based on the characters' designs in Remake and were said to be several years off from release.[10]
On July 26, 2022, Bloomberg News reported that the project had been delayed indefinitely after troubles arose within Aspyr. According to Schreier, a significant amount of time had been spent developing a vertical slice demo that was shown to representatives of Lucasfilm and Sony Interactive Entertainment on June 30. Although members of the development team were happy with the demo, Aspyr's studio heads felt that the project was lacking. Shortly after, design director Brad Prince and art director Jason Minor were both fired and development on Remake was paused. Schreier's report indicated that developers within Aspyr felt that the game would realistically not release until 2025, with some believing that the project would be outsourced to Saber Interactive entirely.[5] Schreier later suggested in August that exactly that had happened after Embracer announced that a "AAA project" had transitioned to "another studio within the Group."[11]
It would not be until 2023 that the project was again addressed in an official capacity. On May 24, when asked of the game's status during an investors meeting, Embracer's CEO Lars Wingefors replied that that was his "favorite question" but declined to give a definitive answer.[12] The same day, the company released a financial report listing various titles in development, with the Remake among them.[6] On April 2, 2024, Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch confirmed that the Remake was "alive and well" and that the studio was "dedicated to making sure we exceed consumer expectations."[7]
Continuity[]
The game is intended as a faithful one-to-one remake of the original game from the ground up.[3] As the original Knights of the Old Republic is part of the Star Wars Legends continuity, the Remake is also considered as such at this time.[1]
Appearances[]
| Characters | Organisms | Droid models | Events | Locations |
| Organizations and titles | Sentient species | Vehicles and vessels | Weapons and technology | Miscellanea |
Characters
Organizations and titles
Sentient species
Weapons and technology
Miscellanea
Sources[]
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Strikes Back with New Remake on StarWars.com (backup link)- 40 Years Later: Lucasfilm Games Starts a New Era on Lucasfilm's official website (backup link)
- SWCA 2022: 7 Hasbro Star Wars Reveals Fans Won't Want to Miss on StarWars.com (backup link)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Strikes Back with New Remake on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1
Saber Interactive joins development of Star Wars KOTOR remake by Victoria Kennedy on Eurogamer (May 19, 2022) (backup link archived on June 22, 2022)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake is the legendary tale remade on PlayStation 5 by Ryan Treadwell on Playstation.Blog (September 9, 2021) (backup link archived on September 9, 2021)
- ↑ The New Essential Chronology places the events of the original Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in 3956 BBY.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Game Paused Amid Studio Shakeup by Jason Schreier on Bloomberg News (July 26, 2022) (backup link archived on July 26, 2022)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 EMBRACER GROUP Q4 & FULL YEAR REPORT (PDF) on Embracer Group (May 24, 2023) (backup link archived on June 1, 2023)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Saber Interactive CEO Says KOTOR Remake Is 'Alive and Well' by Rebekah Valentine on IGN (April 3, 2024) (backup link archived on June 7, 2024)
- ↑ Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic by Sam Maggs on www.sammaggs.com (backup link archived on June 7, 2022)
- ↑ Sam Maggs (@SamMaggs) on Twitter (post on July 26, 2022): "It wasn't my fault, I quit in November, please find someone new to blame lmaooooooo" (backup link)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 SWCA 2022: 7 Hasbro Star Wars Reveals Fans Won't Want to Miss on StarWars.com (backup link)
- ↑ Sounds Like The KOTOR Remake Is In Even Bigger Trouble by Luke Plunkett on kotaku.com (August 22, 2022) (backup link archived on May 23, 2023)
- ↑ No Comment on Troubled PS5 Console Exclusive Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic by Sammy Barker on www.pushsquare.com (May 24, 2023) (backup link archived on May 30, 2023)
- ↑ 13.00 13.01 13.02 13.03 13.04 13.05 13.06 13.07 13.08 13.09 13.10 13.11 13.12 13.13 13.14 13.15 PlayStation Showcase 2021 [ENGLISH] on the official PlayStation YouTube channel (backup link)
External links[]
- PlayStation Showcase 2021 [ENGLISH] on the official PlayStation YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake - PlayStation Showcase 2021 Trailer on the official PlayStation YouTube channel (original link is obsolete)
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Developer Interview on the GameSpot YouTube channel (backup link)
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake is the legendary tale remade on PlayStation 5 by Ryan Treadwell on Playstation.Blog (September 9, 2021) (backup link archived on September 9, 2021)