While the future of most upcoming Star Wars movies is clouded beyond The Mandalorian & Grogu, there's a new hope for the franchise in video games. Among the future releases we're eagerly anticipating, there's a lot of secrecy surrounding the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake, and we've collected all the information available.
Many consider the two original KOTOR games to be some of the best Star Wars games of all time, yet they can be hard to get into more than 20 years after their release. The BioWare and Obsidian-developed RPGs are quite ambitious in their stories and characters, even to this day. However, most of the systems and mechanics that shaped the combat and exploration haven't aged nearly as well, which is why a full refresh of (at least) the original makes total sense in this day and age.
There's also a lot of value in revisiting the age of the Old Republic, a period of the Star Wars timeline that hasn't been explored in the current canon by the creatives at Lucasfilm yet. Sure, the enduring MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic (a sequel of sorts to the two single-player KOTOR games) continues to thrive, but that was born out of the old 'Expanded Universe' Legends continuity. Even if the KOTOR remake is a traditional one and isn't reworked so it can 'fit in' with the current canon, it's one of the best Star Wars stories ever and should reach as many fans as possible.
Looking to the future, there are plenty of upcoming Star Wars games to be excited about, as well as the return of Andor in 2025 and The Mandalorian & Grogu hitting cinemas in 2026. Meanwhile, we recommend giving the latest live-action TV show Skeleton Crew a watch, especially if you've been dying for on-screen connections to the Old Republic.
Is the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake cancelled?
No, as far as we know, the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake hasn't been cancelled.
Following confusing reports in late 2023 teasing that the project could've been canned after it went from Aspyr Media to Saber Interactive (Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2), spring 2024 gave us renewed hope via Saber CEO Matthew Karch who stated the game was "alive and well." Regardless, with cancelled Star Wars games being a common occurrence, we can't blame anyone who is a bit cautious and is waiting until a brand-new update or preview hits.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake release date
A release date/window for the Knights of the Old Republic remake hasn't been established yet.
Unsurprisingly, we don't have a tentative release window for the game. If the previously mentioned reports were correct, the project jumped developers, from Aspyr to Saber in 2022, meaning it's only been two and a half years since it swapped hands and likely underwent a massive creative transformation. While it'll be nice to hear something in the near future, such a big and important project will probably remain a mystery for a bit longer.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake platforms
The Knights of the Old Republic remake was announced as a console exclusive for PS5, with a PC version confirmed shortly afterward.
Since the project changed hands it's unclear whether this deal with Sony has remained in place. However, as Sony has been using these tactics often during this generation, we suspect that KOTOR will be a PS5 timed-exclusive that will eventually make its way to Xbox.
Meanwhile, you can currently buy and play the two original Knights of the Old Republic games on PC, Android, iOS, and Nintendo Switch.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake trailers
So far, only one (very brief) Knights of the Old Republic remake trailer has been shared with the public. It dropped on September 9, 2021, during a PlayStation Showcase. You can watch it below:
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake plot & setting
Mild spoilers ahead for the original Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
No information has been shared on whether the KOTOR remake will closely follow the events of the original game or retell the story in order to surprise both new and old fans, but it's logical to expect most of the plot beats and characters to remain the same. We'll be updating this article as further details arise and previews come out of hyperspace. For now, we can give you a quick summary of what the original was all about (but we're not revealing any late-game surprises).
LucasArts and BioWare's Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is set almost 4,000 years before the events of the Skywalker Saga and depicts a crucial instant in the long war between the Sith and the Jedi, the sworn guardians of the Galactic Republic. After the end of the Mandalorian Wars during which the Republic tried to defend itself from the Mandalorian warrior society, two renegade Jedi Knights, who led Republic forces to victory while the Jedi Order was hesitant to get involved, disappeared into the Unknown Regions alongside the forces and ships under their command.
Roughly a year later, they returned with a Sith armada and launched an invasion against the Republic for unclear reasons (at first) while claiming it was too weak to survive and protect the galaxy. Eventually, Darth Revan (the master) was ambushed and seemingly killed by the Jedi, which left Darth Malak in charge as the new Dark Lord of the Sith.
The game's protagonist is player-determined but has strong ties to the main plot as it unfolds. By and large, their mission is to stop Malak and his forces from destroying the Republic and erasing the Jedi Order. This includes learning about the mystery location of the ancient Star Forge, a gigantic automated shipyard built by the fearsome Rakatan Infinite Empire thousands of years ago, before the Republic was even created. Over the course of the story, the player teams up with colorful characters like the heroic Jedi Bastila Shan, the assassin droid HK-47, the Republic pilot Carth Onasi, and more.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake genre & gameplay
Much like the two original games, the Knights of the Old Republic remake will be an ambitious RPG. However, word on the street for the longest time has been that Aspyr (and probably Saber after the creative shakeup) had rebuilt the combat system, landing much closer to modern action-oriented RPGs like the Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
In the original games, combat is round-based. While the uninterrupted gameplay can look and feel real-time, there's a limit to the actions that can happen within each interval of time, which can be paused to plan and react accordingly to enemy actions. The entire system follows the Dungeons & Dragons rules that BioWare was very familiar with already, and all the roll/modifier breakdowns are readily available to examine through a menu.
On the other hand, the dialogue and morality systems are barely any different from the ones found in modern RPGs; we're guessing those elements would probably remain the same, as the decision-making and overall narrative of the two original games have received tons of praise over the years. We've yet to learn official details about how Saber is approaching this remake, but we're expecting a heavy focus on redoing the combat and graphics.
