Spoiler Warning: Beware minor spoilers for Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Knights of the Old Republic II.
The so-called Game “Awards” was pretty shit, wasn’t it? I didn’t watch the actual broadcast, because if the organisers don’t actually care about their made-up trophies at this glorified marketing event, why should I? But I did check out the announcements and a few of the trailers after the fact, as I usually do, and there was one that caught my eye. As you probably guessed, it was Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic.
I was huge Knights of the Old Republic fan during the original Xbox era, and I still consider both that game and its sequel to be among the best RPGs I’ve ever played – as well as two of the best pieces of Star Wars media, too. KotOR II left things open-ended more than twenty years ago, but the story was never continued. More recently, a remake of the first KotOR had been announced, but that project seems to have suffered from a difficult and troubled development process, with a publisher withdrawing, a development studio being kicked off the project, and no official word on it for a long time.
So Fate of the Old Republic’s announcement should be a time of joy! Right?
Well, let’s talk about that.
Truthfully, I’m not exactly blown away by this announcement. We didn’t actually see Fate of the Old Republic with our own eyes at the Game “Awards.” We saw a CGI trailer that told us next to nothing. That’s not unexpected for a game which is clearly at a very early stage in its development, but after being burned once by a cinematic KotOR remake trailer that hasn’t actually gone anywhere… well, there’s less to get excited about the second time around.
But if Fate of the Old Republic is, as has been reported, five-plus years away from its potential release window… I can’t be alone in thinking that its announcement has come too early, can I? Star Wars has been guilty of this before, not just with the aforementioned KotOR remake, but also with Eclipse – another single-player title we haven’t so much as glimpsed in over four years at this point. So… why announce this now? It wasn’t like Fate of the Old Republic was being leaked, and teasing fans with a nothing-burger cinematic clip five years or more ahead of release feels almost mean. I might not still be here (or still able to play games if my arthritis gets worse) come 2030.
So far, I haven’t been able to find out what Fate of the Old Republic’s existence may or may not mean for the status of the KotOR remake and – potentially – a KotOR II remake that I’d want to see follow it up. Is the KotOR remake still happening? Or does this announcement mean that Disney, Lucasfilm, and their development/publishing partners are now going in a totally different direction? I wouldn’t expect the developers of Fate of the Old Republic to discuss that – but hopefully soon, someone from Disney, Lucasfilm, or Saber Interactive can clear things up.
I want a new KotOR game, don’t get me wrong. But having been excited about the remake – and having deliberately not played KotOR or KotOR II since the remake was announced – I don’t like the idea of losing that game. In an ideal world, I’d like to see both titles release: the KotOR remake first, then hopefully KotOR II, and finally Fate of the Old Republic. But it would be nice to get some clarity from the people involved whether the remake is still happening… because it seems odd to me to announce this new game if the remake is also going ahead. The KotOR remake, with the best will in the world, isn’t launching in 2026. So if that game would be 2027 or later, then it starts to butt up against Fate of the Old Republic if it might make a 2030 release. The timings of all these things leaves me scratching my head.
Then there’s the typical Star Wars “oversaturation.” Will people pick up the KotOR remake knowing that Fate of the Old Republic might be just a couple of years away? And if the KotOR remake does well, will that risk overshadowing Fate of the Old Republic, given how strong the game’s story is and the incredibly powerful impact of its big twist? It just feels like a totally unnecessary risk.
The ideal way to do this would’ve been to launch the KotOR remake, then get straight into remaking KotOR II using the same team and the same process. Only then would work on a new entry commence. But my biggest concern at this stage, really, is whether the KotOR remake is still happening at all. If I had to choose between a remake and a new game, I’m always gonna pick a new game! But having been teased with the idea of replaying one (or perhaps two) of my favourite RPGs of all-time… I’ll be a little disappointed if the promised remake now isn’t happening.
Much has been made of KotOR director Casey Hudson’s involvement in this project – and I’m definitely pleased to see him back in the director’s chair. Hudson – who also directed the fantastic Jade Empire and all three games in the original Mass Effect trilogy – is fantastic, so any game he’s involved with, even if it wasn’t Star Wars, would have attracted my attention! But can the same be said for any of his colleagues at the brand-new Arcanaut Studios?
Fate of the Old Republic will be Arcanaut’s first-ever video game. And it isn’t easy to build up a brand-new studio from scratch in the modern games industry. Building a studio around a talismanic figure from the past doesn’t always work – just ask Build A Rocket Boy and their failed game MindsEye. Even in the Star Wars franchise, such things don’t always work out – Amy Hennig’s Star Wars game ended up being cancelled before it even launched, and that was coming from an established studio with a track record. So… there are causes for concern, unfortunately. One big name, no matter how influential they may once have been or what their track record may look like, is not a guarantee of success on its own, and a game like Fate of the Old Republic feels like a massive project for a brand-new studio to be tasked with.
Finally, there was one phrase in Fate of the Old Republic’s marketing material that I didn’t like to see. The game is being described as a “spiritual successor” to Knights of the Old Republic. But a “spiritual successor” is not a true sequel, is it? So will this game pick up the stories of Revan and the Jedi Exile? Or will it be a brand-new thing that doesn’t continue their storylines at all? The studio’s website promises “new characters for an all-new story,” which sounds to me like they’re not planning to even touch on what happened to Revan and the Jedi Exile. And I would add that nothing in the Fate of the Old Republic trailer looked familiar – the character, the starship, the planet… none of it.
And that leaves me baffled, to be honest.
Why make a big deal of Casey Hudson’s involvement, name-drop KotOR so often, and even use the “of the Old Republic” branding in the game’s name if it’s gonna be a different thing altogether? It almost feels like it could be a bait-and-switch; using the KotOR name to entice fans of those games to show up for a new, unrelated project.
I’m still hopeful that Fate of the Old Republic will be a solid and enjoyable game in its own right… when it’s ready in 2030 or beyond. And if I’m still here and still capable of writing and gaming, I’ll do my best to play it and review it right here on the website! But, for all the reasons discussed above, I’m not exactly “hyped” for this new game at this too-early stage, and I’m more concerned, in some ways, for what this announcement could mean for the KotOR remake that I’d been looking forward to.
So I realise this was a dump of negativity, and I apologise for that. But KotOR and KotOR II are still games I’m passionate about, and I’ve longed for a continuation for literally decades at this point. I’m not sure, based on what I’ve seen and read, whether Fate of the Old Republic will be that game. It certainly won’t be KotOR III. However, it could be a fantastic standalone title, and maybe there will be more connections to Revan and the Jedi Exile, even if those characters and their friends don’t end up forming a core part of the new story. In any case, I will check out Fate of the Old Republic when it’s ready, assuming I’m able to.
Stay tuned here on the website, because I’m currently writing up my thoughts on The Force Awakens ahead of its tenth anniversary. And later in the month, I’ll be handing out some of my own made-up statuettes and trophies to some of my favourite entertainment experiences of 2025! I hope you’ll join me for that. Until then… may the Force be with you, friends!
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is in early development and may not launch for several years. Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is the copyright of Arcanaut Studios, Lucasfilm Games, and The Walt Disney Company. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is the copyright of BioWare, Electronic Arts, Lucasfilm Games, and The Walt Disney Company. This article contains the thoughts and opinions of one person only and is not intended to cause any offence.
Trekking with Dennis 