Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake feels like one of those quasi mythical PC gaming projects that could end up in the ether for years to come. Earlier this year, the KOTOR remake was presumed canceled after mentions of it disappeared from various official websites. This proved to be false, and the remake of one of the greatest Star Wars games ever was confirmed to be still in development, or at least, not completely canceled. Now, in the last few days, new reports have surfaced claiming Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake is finished for good – but apparently this might not be true either.
Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic is as quintessential a part of PC history as Half-Life, Fallout, and Civilization. One of the defining RPG games of the ‘00s, it further cemented the reputation of Baldur’s Gate developer BioWare, providing a springboard for the likes of Mass Effect and Dragon Age. Arguably the best Star Wars game of all time, a KOTOR remake would revive the original game for a new audience, and give long-time fans a reason to go back.
Initially in development at the Embracer Group’s Aspyr studio, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake shifted to Saber Interactive in 2022. Earlier this year, posts and videos relating to the KOTOR remake suddenly vanished from official Sony channels, creating speculation that the game had been canceled. Sony later explained that the videos had been removed owing to issues with music licensing.
Then, on the Friday, November 17 episode of Giant Bomb Game Mess Mornings, reporter Jeff Grubb said that the Knights of the Old Republic Remake was not currently being worked on. “This game is not being worked on right now,” Grubb said. “Full stop. This game is not being worked on in any way at any studio. I’ve looked into it a little bit. To 100% confirm it, this game is not being worked on right now.”
However, claims have now emerged to the contrary. According to Jason Schreier of Bloomberg, the Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake is still being worked on at Saber, albeit in a limited capacity, and one that does not guarantee it will see the light of day.
“Can’t say whether the KOTOR Remake will ever actually come out,” Schreier says, “but yes, two people from Saber Interactive tell me they’re still on it, despite recent rumors that nobody is working on the game.”
It has been claimed that KOTOR was moved to Saber after a demo created by Aspyr drew a bad initial reception. Schreier also offers comments regarding these reports. “The demo wasn’t egregiously bad or anything like that,” Schreier says. “The bigger issue was misalignment between all the parties about scope and how much progress they could make within a given timeline.”
So, perhaps Knights of the Old Republic Remake isn’t completely dead after all. If you’re looking for a retro Star Wars fix, the 2006 RTS Empire at War has suddenly received a huge new update.
Take a look at the best old games, if you miss KOTOR and want to feed your nostalgia. Alternatively, get the best open-world games on PC.
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