Embracer Group’s CEO issued a firm “no comment” when asked about the long-awaited remake of the classicStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The refusal to provide an answer of substance dims the hopes of long-time fans who were excited by the prospect of playing a modern interpretation ofKnights of the Old Republic, a game as beloved as it was influential.
Developed by BioWare, the creators oftheMass Effectfranchise,Star Wars:Knights of the Old Republicwas an RPG with round-based combat originally released in July 2003. Players chose from three character classes as they and a party of Jedi, scoundrels, and androids sought to defeat the evil Darth Malak.KOTORwas set amidst the Mandalorian Wars, roughly 4,000 years before the events of the prequel film trilogy, a time when the Jedi were a large and thriving legion of galactic peacekeepers.
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A remake of the originalKOTORwas announced during a September 2021 PlayStation Showcase event with a brief yet enticing trailer depicting Darth Malak, in all his modern graphical glory, turning on his bright red lightsaber blade while shrouded in darkness. Recently, on hisGame Messpodcast, trusted industry insider Jeff Grubb said that he believes, based on his sources, thattheKOTORremake might never be released. While on an investor call, Embracer Group CEO Lars Wingefors made no attempt to assuage fans concerned about the status of the remake.
When asked about theKOTORremake’s status, Wingefors declined to comment just after sarcastically suggesting that questions about aKOTORremake were his favorite to address. Aspyr Media, the developer responsible for the mobile ports ofKOTORand its sequel, was tasked with developing the remake. Just a year after it was announced, Embracer moved the project from Aspyr to its parent company Saber Interactive, a developer also owned by Embracer that’s headquartered in South Florida. Saber Interactive itself owns several studios around the world. The remake is now in the hands of a Saber Interactive studio in Eastern Europe. There is currentlyno timetable for theKOTORremake’s release.
A report from August 2022 citing sources from within Saber Interactive suggests that there were, at the time, at least two more years of active development necessary. Whether that is still the case remains to be seen. Fansclamoring to seeKOTOR’s legendary story remadewith modern technology and evolved game development sensibilities might have to wait a lot longer before they even hear another update on its status, let alone see a release.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republicis in development for PC and PS5.
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