Star Warsfans have been riding a wave of rumors for a good chunk of this year. From rumblings ona sequel toStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, to speculation for a game based onThe Mandalorianseries, it seems the fanbase has been holding its breath just waiting for a crumb of official news. Luckily, there has been one glint of hope from perhaps the biggestStar Warsgaming rumor of this year, that developer Aspyr would bring back the iconicKnights of the Old Republicin the form of a full remake. PlayStation’s September Showcase finally confirmed the anticipated title, and now many fans are just waiting to hear more.
For those waiting to know what they can expect fromStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake, there could be some information in the initial rumors that surrounded the game. Numerous sources reported on different aspects of theKOTOR Remakeearlier this year, with many of them having to do with potential gameplay features and the team behind development. While it would be unwise to take all of the remake’s rumors as gospel, some did come from reliable sources such as industry insider Jason Schreier. Now that the game actually exists,KOTORRemake’s other rumors could give insight on what to expect.
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KOTOR Remake Looks Like It’s Getting Proper Support
One of the primary aspects ofKOTOR Remake’s initial rumors was that the game would be helmed by developer Aspyr. While the company may be relatively unknown compared to many other of the industry’s biggest names, Aspyr has built up a reputation amongStar Warsfans. Over the past few years, Aspyr has been focused on creating remasters for classicStar Warstitles on modern consoles, withStar Wars: Republic Commandoserving as the developer’s most recent project. They may not be full-fledged remakes asKOTOR Remakepromises to be, but they still demonstrate an important familiarity with the property.
Looking atAspyr’s previous catalogue of work, it would be understandable to have some concerns over whether or not the developer will have the resources to create such a hefty remake. Previous rumors suggest, however, that Aspyr will have all of the tools it needs. Earlier this year, Aspyr’s parent company Embracer Group announced that the developer would be given a $70 million budget for a triple-A release related to a licensed property. WhenKOTOR Remakerumors first began to circulate, some believed that this budget could be connected. Now that the game is official, it’s entirely possible, and this would giveKOTOR Remakea budget akin to most other triple-A titles today.
How KOTOR’s Combat Could Be Reworked
Along with rumors of who would be developing theKOTOR Remake, many speculated on how the game’s combat will look. While the originalKOTORis certainly an icon of the RPG genre, its combat system is a relic of TTRPGs that just aren’t as prominent in the industry today. Around the time thatKOTOR Remakerumors were at their height, YouTuber MrMattyPlays claimed thatKOTOR’s combat would get an overhaul, and those suggestions could very well turn out to be factual. While Aspyr hasn’t confirmed anything itself, it seems like a very plausible move.
If these combat system rumors turn out to be true,KOTOR Remakecould go in a number of directions. Many fans have citedFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeas a potential source of inspiration, as that game took a similarly archaic combat system and updated it for modern RPG expectations.KOTOR Remakecould also set a new standard for lightsaber combatby introducing something completely new, creating a fresh combat system for one of the most iconicStar Warsgames in history. It would certainly be a big deviation from the originalKOTOR’s core experience, but it might be a necessary change in the long run.
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KOTOR 3 Probably Isn’t Happening
Unfortunately for some fans,the confirmation ofKOTOR Remakelikely disproves rumors thatKnights of the Old Republic 3could be happening. When insider Jason Schreier made comments about aKOTORrelated project late last year, some suggested that it could be a long-awaited sequel toKOTOR 2. While this is an interesting prospect, it seems more like wishful thinking in the grand scheme of things.
The fact that Aspyr’s rumored project isKOTOR Remakeand notKOTOR 3works heavily against those initial rumors, especially considering how early in developmentKOTOR Remakeis. Given this is set to be one of Aspyr’s biggest projects to date, all resources will likely go to it. On top of that, it seems unlikely that Disney and Lucasfilm would greenlight a project that could potentially interfere with the newStar Warscanon that’s been getting built up for the past few years. So while this will likely be a huge audition for Aspyr to determine if it will get to work on futureStar Warstitles, it probably won’t serve to teaseKOTOR 3.
Out of all possibleStar Warsprojects, a full remake ofKnights of the Old Republichas been one of the most requested over the years. It should be said that even thoughKOTOR Remakedoes exist, the rumors about the game’s content are still exactly that, just rumors. It’s probably going to be quite some time until fans get more information outside of the game’s initial reveal, but until then, the remake’s rumors serve as a decent baseline moving forward. Time will tell if theKnights of the Old Republic Remaketurns out to be everything fans have been hoping for.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remakeis currently in development.
