Opening yesterday’s PlayStation Showcase was the announcement of a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake in development for PS5 by Aspyr Media. But it looks like original developer BioWare and publisher EA aren’t involved in the project. The Game Awards organizer and host Geoff Keighley reached out to BioWare and EA to inquire about their involvement after the initial announcement on the PlayStation Blog failed to mention either of the companies at all. (The trailer also only ended with logos for Aspyr, PlayStation, and Lucasfilm Games.)
The reply Keighley received from an EA spokesperson was a non-answer that talked a lot around the subject, never directly answering his inquiry.
I asked Bioware (and EA) if they are involved in the STAR WARS: KNIGHTS OF THE OLD REPUBLIC remake announced yesterday and just received this response.
So I guess that’s a no? pic.twitter.com/mwa1FDdbjE
— Geoff Keighley (@geoffkeighley) September 10, 2021
The reply from EA in full reads:
We are proud of our long-standing collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, which will continue for years to come. Our talented teams have created some of the most successful games in the history of the Star Wars franchise, including Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Star Wars: Battlefront, Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes, Star Wars: The Old Republic, and Star Wars: Squadrons. We love Star Wars and look forward to creating more exciting experiences for players to enjoy.
In listing out the “successful” games, the EA spokesperson does not mention BioWare’s beloved Knights of the Old Republic from 2003 (though the MMO Star Wars: The Old Republic is loosely part of that series). They do not directly address Keighley’s question about if the developer or publisher are involved with the PS5 remake, which is leading most people to assume that they are not.
EA recently lost exclusive video game rights for the Star Wars license, with Disney forming Lucasfilm Games to give many publishers and developers the opportunity to play around in that universe. While EA won’t be creating Star Wars title exclusively anymore, they do still retain a number of successful Star Wars franchises that they continue to work with in various capacities (it’s rumored a sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is in development).
Given that EA originally said that none of its new Star Wars games would be announced until next year, this makes it even more unlikely that they have any involvement with the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake. How exactly Lucasfilm Games came to hand the rights to KoTOR off to Aspyr and PlayStation is currently unknown. Previously an Xbox console exclusive, the limited-time PS5 exclusivity of the KoTOR remake is a massive shift for the title.
It also calls into question Knights of the Old Republic’s place within Star Wars canon. After Disney took over in 2014, it relegated all previous expanded media to the “Star Wars Legends” label that it declared was no longer canon. This included Knights of the Old Republic’s story. However, the Remake under Lucasfilm Games could indicate that it is being reintroduced to the canon, though the developer promises it will remain faithful to its original story and characters. Aspyr has also gathered a veteran team of Star Wars developers, some who even worked on the original game, so rest assured it’s in good hands.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake currently doesn’t have a release date.
