🔗 Share this article

Star Wars enthusiasts have no shortage of options when it comes to stellar video games featuring the iconic energy blades, but the universe envisioned by George Lucas is not just a playground for combat. Few series have grasped this more thoroughly than Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which was crafted in the old-school computer role-playing game vein that made developers like Obsidian and BioWare renowned. Now, after multiple fits and starts, The Game Awards has unveiled that players will soon be able to dive into a thematic heir to the series. It's called Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic.

The Big Reveal

Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is labeled "an upcoming single-player narrative-driven action RPG and spiritual heir to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic." Veteran developer Casey Hudson, formerly of BioWare and the game director of the original KOTOR, is leading it at Arcanaut Studios.

“When we created the original KOTOR, we wanted to build a definitive Star Wars experience — crafting an adventure that consisted of all the things we longed to doing as Star Wars fans,” the developer said. “Now, 25 years after we started work on that game, our goals are equally ambitious. Fate of the Old Republic presents an possibility to delve into a current vision of a ultimate Star Wars experience, using advanced technology and game design, and an completely original story written specifically to deliver on the fusion of player agency and immersion in Star Wars that was at the center of KOTOR.”

A Surprising Development

The news is a bit of a unexpected development, given that 2022 saw a modern attempt at an Old Republic game get pushed back with no date. However, reports had suggested that a revival of KotOR, as well as one of its follow-up, had been in the works through March 2025.

Here is the synopsis for the new title:

Developed by Arcanaut Studios in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is a new single-player narrative-driven action RPG and spiritual successor to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Led by Casey Hudson, Game director of the original Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect trilogy, the team of veteran game developers and storytellers at Arcanaut Studios is crafting an epic interactive adventure across a galaxy on the brink of rebirth where every decision shapes your path towards light or darkness. Fate is in your hands.

Why KOTOR Matters

The venerated role-playing games, which have seen recent ports to platforms like the Switch, are known for their conversation-rich, player-influenced, and RPG-stat-heavy approach to Star Wars. The games were impactful enough that they inadvertently codified how people visualize the Old Republic time period as a whole, still today. The games bravely chose to question many aspects of Jedi lore that are often considered absolute, like whether the order and its understanding of the Force are correct. The second game, Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords, veered in a much darker direction by asking if the world might not be improved without the Jedi at all. Both games are highly regarded by fans years after their release, but the follow-up in particular is considered by some as one of the best pieces of Star Wars media created.

A New Hope

And now, several years after receiving a cinematic trailer for a Knights of the Old Republic remake, the community is at last being granted another game in the same vein. Given the craving for complex games like Baldur's Gate 3 or Divinity: Original Sin, a modern approach on Knights of the Old Republic that's done well has the chance to be a massive hit.