Five years ago, Lucasfilm officially announced a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake with Saber Interactive that would bring back one of the most-loved Star Wars franchises of all time. The years have passed (and a new Fate of the Old Republic game has been announced too). Back in December, we learned that Mad Head Games, the team behind Hellraiser: Revival, were also involved. But concrete details have been few and far between.
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Speaking to IGN, Saber Interactive’s chief creative officer, Tim Willits, has finally given a basic update. “Yes, it is still in development,” he confirmed, which will at least relieve those who believed it had been abandoned in light of Fate of the Old Republic. “That’s all I can say,” he added.
Star Wars Has Changed Direction Since 2021
In a sense, Willits’ response is the most bittersweet one possible. It’s exciting to hear that KOTOR is still being worked on, but the fanbase will surely be frustrated that there’s been no real news in five years. While there will naturally be a desire to get things right, the slow pace of development really does seem to be due more to behind-the-scenes changes at Lucasfilm.
KOTOR is one of the most beloved games of all time, which certainly explains why it’s ripe for a remake. There was initially some excitement after 2023’s Star Wars Celebration, which divided the Star Wars timeline into new sections – including one deliberately based on the old KOTOR iconography. But even then, absolutely no projects were officially confirmed for that part of the timeline. The general assumption back then was that something had been planned, but wasn’t quite ready.
The problem is, though, that progress has largely halted on all projects announced at Celebration 2023. It’s reasonable to assume that this is tied to a change in direction at Lucasfilm, with president Kathleen Kennedy beginning succession planning in February 2024. The new leadership’s priorities were clearly different, because projects like James Mangold’s “Dawn of the Jedi” and even Daisy Ridley’s Star Wars return appear to have become less of a priority. Instead, Star Wars is returning this May with The Mandalorian and Grogu, followed by next year’s Starfighter.
These changes at the top level of Lucasfilm will no doubt have an impact on the gaming plans as well. For now, the one relief is that the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake hasn’t been forgotten, but instead is still in development. The fascinating thing, though, is that this coincides with new interest in that era, specifically the Fate of the Old Republic game. There’s intense speculation about whether that will turn out to be a KOTOR sequel of sorts, perhaps adjusted to fit into canon; only time will tell.
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