A disturbance was felt in this force this week, as millions of fans cried out at once and then took to Twitter to share their feelings. That disturbance was caused by news that the Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) remake from Aspyr Media is delayed indefinitely and the studio is unsure what comes next. Announced in September 2021, the KOTOR remake has been in development for 3 years now. It’s been a hotly anticipated game for Star Wars fans, fans of the original, and RPG fans so this news is shocking to say the least.
The Aspyr team showed a demo, also called a vertical slice, to stakeholders Sony and Lucasfilm earlier in July. The production team was excited to show it and felt like they were on track. Instead, the team’s design director and art director were both fired unexpectedly. Different sources have suggested different reasons for this decision, but the most likely seems to be that a disproportionate amount of resources went into creating the demo and that the project was unsustainable in its current form. There was also revealed to be an aggressive timeline of a finished product by the end of 2022, but again many sources say that 2025 would be a much more realistic timeline.
The grim reality is that the studio is unsure what happens next for the team and the project. Aspyr has been working with Saber Interactive on the project and both studios belong to parent company Embracer Group. Embracer could decide to give the entire project over to Saber and move the Aspyr team to a new project. It’s also possible that some of the Aspyr team moves with the project and Aspyr builds a new team for whatever comes next. The KOTOR remake is a big project with a lot of excitement around it. It’s currently planned to be a PC and timed console exclusive on the PS5. Embracer Group seems committed to the project and more news will be revealed in the coming weeks most likely.
Image from: Aspyr Media/Star Wars
