Summary
Every time theKnights of the Old Republicremake appears in the news, it just seems to get worse much to the dismay ofKOTORlovers the world over. The title was originally announced as a PS5 exclusive in development at Embracer Group’s Aspyr Media, with Sony co-publishing the title. After months of silence, it was then reported that theKOTOR Remakewas being pulled from Aspyr Mediaafter its vertical slice failed to impress the higher-ups. It was believed that theKOTOR Remakewas then moved to Saber Interactive, still under Embracer Group, and was essentially restarted. Of course, Embracer Group would never confirm this, and it was like many fans were grasping at straws.
Now, known insider Jeff Grubb has outright said that theKOTOR Remakeis not being worked on anywhereduring a recent Game Mess Mornings, which is an incredible failing on Embracer Group’s part.KOTORis still hailed, to this day, as one of the best games of all time; the anticipation for the KOTOR Remake, from one tiny tease, was sky high. Despite there not seemingly being a path forward forKOTOR 3, it’s still often theorized by fans and rumors crop up every now and again. It’s clear that Disney and Lucasfilm cannot be happy that one of its most premiere video game IPs has become stagnant, and what’s worse, it seems to be so bad that Sony is not as invested as it once was.
Grubb said that Sony seems to not want anything to do with it anymore, which makes sense given it involves time and money for an IP it does not own. To be frank, it sounds like Embracer Group was handed the holy grail and subsequently squandered it. With the future ofKnights of the Old Republiceffectively dashed before it ever began, it’s time for something to step in—and Xbox might be the best option.
Xbox Could Bring Balance to the Force with the KOTOR Remake
Now, it’s important to note that it’s impossible to know what goes on behind closed doors, but it’s hard to imagine Disney just letting Embracer Group sit on the IP with no movement for long. Something has to happen is the general sentiment, and while some intervention somewhere is bound to happen, the likeliest scenario is Disney stepping in. What Disney does after that remains to be seen, but Xbox brokering a deal with Disney for another take on theKOTOR Remakewould be ideal. The simple fact is that, at this point, it’s very unlikely that theKOTOR Remakemakes it out before the end of the PS5/XSX lifecycle. It’s not too late, however, for it to be a launch title for the next generation of consoles, or at the very least, to possibly be one of the last ones to release on PS5/XSX. But the reasons it should go to Xbox are multifold.
KOTOR Was Originally an Xbox Exclusive
History is important. One reason why theKOTOR Remakeas a PS5 timed exclusivewas so shocking is because the originalKOTORandKOTOR 2were Xbox exclusives. That has obviously changed a bit over the years, but knowing the legacy of it, it would make sense for Xbox to want this title on its platform out of the gate. Microsoft now has more studios than ever, more exclusives in the pipeline than past generations, and a much brighter outlook for the Xbox Series X/S and future consoles than it did the Xbox One generation. Whatever saw theKOTOR Remakeend up at Embracer Group, co-published by Sony, likely had something to do with this. BringingKOTORhome just makes sense.
Xbox Has the Best Studio to Do a KOTOR Remake
One of Embracer Group’s immediate issues with theKOTOR Remakeis that, it would seem, neither Aspyr Media nor Saber Interactive were up to the task. That’s nothing against the developers who no doubt worked hard on it, but the high-profile lay-offs, studio closures, and the backfired spending spree has shown thatEmbracer Groupdid not plan well enough ahead. That wouldn’t be a problem at Xbox.
Obsidian Entertainment is now an Xbox studio, and as many fans know, Obsidian developedKnights of the Old Republic 2. There’s always some anxiety around a sequel to a highly-beloved game, such is the case withThe Elder Scrolls 6followingSkyrimnow, but Obsidian did it.KOTOR 2was more than a worthwhile successor, and under Obsidian, it would be great to seeKOTOR Remakeand perhaps aKOTOR Remake 2in the long run. What’s more, while many would be concerned about anyshifts toKOTOR’s combat,The Outer Worldsshows the graphic fidelity the studio could bring to these remakes. Obsidian would be perfect to take the reins on this project.
Would an Xbox KOTOR Remake Be Multiplat?
TheKOTOR Remakeexclusivity on PS5 was understood to be timed exclusivity only, but the number of fans who would flock to the PS5 just to play it at launch would be high. As such, Xbox could justifiably work out a deal to make theKOTOR RemakeXbox exclusive, but Xbox as a whole has proven to be more friendly to multiplatform titles in the past, generally adopting a case-by-case basis. Given the popularity of theKOTOR Remakethough, it wouldn’t be surprising if Xbox did make this particular title multiplatform, while things likeThe Elder Scrolls 6were Xbox exclusive. There’s no definitive answer, but it’s more likely an XboxKOTOR Remakewould be multiplat out of the gate than the current iteration of the title.
The KOTOR Remake Could Be Sony’s Spider-Man Moment
Truthfully, the current situation with theKOTOR Remakebrings to mind the events that led toInsomniac Games’Spider-Manseries. Up there with theBatman: Arkhamfranchise,Spider-Manhas redefined what a superhero game could be. It followed years of shoddy superhero video game movie tie-ins, and now the future of Marvel video games is better than ever. There’s clearly a reason that Insomniac Games is also working onMarvel’s Wolverine. Similarly, while EA had exclusivity with theStar Warsfranchise, the games over the past ten years or so have not really satisfied many fans, not exactly like but similar enough to the era of shoddy superhero games. Expanding that out was a good call by Disney/Lucasfilm, and while one could argue that Respawn’sStar Wars: Jediseries has put the franchise back on the video game map, there’s still a lot of work to do.
However, it doesn’t seem Sony is interested in doing that work withStar Wars. Sony possibly pulling back again makes sense because it’s not its IP, but that’s also the justification Xbox gave when Marvel Games approached it about working onSpider-Man. As revealed inThe Ultimate History of Video Games, Volume 2: Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, and the Billion-Dollar Battle to Shape Modern Gaming, Marvel Games decided to pull Spider-Man from Activision and considered the big three publishers about possible games akin to theBatman: Arkhamtitles in 2014. Because Nintendo focuses on its own IP, that left Xbox and PlayStation out of the gate.
Microsoft’s rationale for passing onSpider-Manwas to focus on its own IP, which fans can see in hindsight how that shook out. Passing onSpider-Manwas a pretty huge blunder, one that has cemented the beloved superhero franchise as a console-selling exclusive title on PS4 and PS5. But given the state of superhero games, the sheer selling potential of the franchise, and the reasoning behind Microsoft’s refusal, the possible parallels here are obvious.Star Warsgamesneed a push thatSpider-Mangave superhero titles, the sheer selling potential of aKOTOR Remakeis on par, and it sounds like Sony may not be as interested in a remake ofKOTORas it wasSpider-Man.
Time will only tell, as it did then, what happens withKOTOR, but Xbox stepping in would bring balance to the Force. Indeed, it seems Disney will have to intervene, and something with the IP has to happen. Revealing theKOTOR Remakeopened a can of worms that can’t be closed now, and hopefully, fans aren’t keeping waiting another decade to see something happen with theKOTOR Remake, Xbox intervention or not.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic
WHERE TO PLAY
Choose Your Path.It is four thousand years before the Galactic Empire and hundreds of Jedi Knights have fallen in battle against the ruthless Sith. You are the last hope of the Jedi Order. Can you master the awesome power of the Force on your quest to save the Republic? Or will you fall to the lure of the dark side? Hero or villain, saviour or conqueror… you alone will determine the destiny of the entire galaxy!A brand new Star Wars role-playing experience with unique characters, creatures, vehicles and planets.Learn to use the Force with over 40 different powers and build your own lightsaber.Adventure through some of the most popular Star Wars locations, including Tatooine and the Wookiee homeworld Kashyyyk.Choose your party from nine customisable characters, including Twi’leks, droids and Wookiees.Travel to eight enormous worlds in your own starship, the Ebon Hawk.
