With the future of the Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic remake up in the air, Disney has at least signalled its commitment to the much-loved role-playing game.
Speaking to Axios, Disney’s head of gaming, Sean Shoptaw, insisted “there's still a lot of demand for” KOTOR. “I’ll leave it there,” he concluded.
Amid continued silence from embattled games company Embracer about the status of its KOTOR remake, developer Saber Interactive was, as of November, reportedly still soldiering on with the project in some capacity.
The KOTOR Remake was thought dead after Embracer had Saber Interactive, the developer working on Warhammer 40,000 Space Marine 2, take over following significant trouble at original developer Aspyr.
Bloomberg reporter and reputable insider Jason Schreier posted on X/Twitter to say Saber Interactive is still working on the game, although question marks remain over whether it will ever actually come out, and if it does, what sort of game it will be.
The KOTOR remake was announced in 2021 as a PlayStation-published game, sparking excitement from fans of the original RPG. But we’ve heard little since, save reports of ongoing struggles with development. Last year, work on the KOTOR remake was reportedly paused indefinitely after disappointment over progress made. A demo built by Aspyr apparently failed to impress when shown to Lucasfilm and Sony, which led to development being put on hold. The remake’s art director Brad Prince and design director Jason Minor subsequently left the project.
Aspyr had worked on the KOTOR remake for three years before it was finally announced in Sony’s 2021 PlayStation Showcase, where it was revealed that original voice actor Jennifer Hale would be returning as Bastila Shan.
At the time, the KOTOR remake was set to be released as a PC and PS5 console exclusive and was touted as a full remake built from the ground up. Originally developed by BioWare, Knights of the Old Republic is regarded as one of the best Star Wars video games and western RPGs ever made.
Embracer has so far refused to comment on the issue despite multiple requests from IGN ever since it emerged the KOTOR remake had encountered development trouble.
Earlier in November, Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors refused to answer a question about the KOTOR remake during a financial presentation, saying: “I notice that anything I say to this becomes a headline, so that is my only comment."
According to reports, Aspyr had targeted a late 2022 release date for the remake, but insiders suggested 2025 was a more realistic target. It’s now even more unclear how this project will continue.
Embracer is currently embroiled in a significant restructuring process that has seen over 900 staff lose their jobs. Saints Row studio Volition and TimeSplitters maker Free Radical Design have closed down, and Borderlands developer Gearbox is reportedly up for sale. More layoffs are expected.
Axios asked Disney’s Shoptaw if the KOTOR remake will ever come out. Here’s his response in full:
"Not a lot I can say on that point for some hopefully obvious reasons, but KOTOR is obviously an incredibly popular game, one that we are incredibly proud of and think that there's still a lot of demand for. I'll leave it there."
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
