Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic surely caused a sensation in 2003. Arriving on the Xbox in summer and on PC later that year, the game was a godsend for Star Wars fans who were craving for a great Star Wars experience after George Lucas’ prequels films had disappointed so many.
And the game turned out to be great: it was the first role-playing game set in the Star Wars universe, and featured a memorable cast of characters, smooth and visually stunning combat (for the time) and a fantastic musical score too. Set thousands of years before the original trilogy, Knights of the Old Republic was also the first game to feature a female Jedi, while its villain Darth Malak has been referenced in Disney’s new Star Wars trilogy too.
The game got a sequel in 2004 made by Obsidian Entertainment (now a Microsoft studio), which gave fans more of the same, albeit its more serious tone meant it did not have the charm or charisma of the original game, which was made by RPG masters BioWare.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is considered by many to be the best Star Wars game to date, so it makes sense that many have been twiddling their thumbs in anticipation of a third Knights of the Old Republic game which sadly has not materialized yet.
However, a report from Cinelinx (via Eurogamer) says that another Knights of the Old Republic game could be in the pipeline, as claimed by two separate sources according to Cinelinx.
One of these sources says the new game would be a remake of the original Knights of the Old Republic, something which would make sense taking into account what a brilliant game that was. This would also be in line with what a few big name publishers have been doing of late – remakes such as that of Resident Evil 2 sold millions last year, and Knights of the Old Republic is the best-selling Star Wars game to date, meaning a remake would surely make sense.
But if not a remake, would we instead be getting Knights of the Old Republic 3, a game which would continue the story of the earlier Obsidian game Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords?
Not according to another of Cinelinx’s sources, which claims the new game will be a reboot incorporating elements from the first two Knights of the Old Republic games. And hopefully this will bring back some of the series’ best characters like Malak and Bastilla Shan, while also offering the same depth and quality as the original 2003 game did.
The question here, though, is whether BioWare will be making this game or not. This seems unlikely as one Forbes contributor has pointed out: the Canadian developer currently has its hands full with an Anthem reboot, another Mass Effect game and the eagerly anticipated Dragon Age 4 – it seems BioWare couldn’t make another Knights of the Old Republic game now no matter how much its fans are begging for it.
There’s also the matter of whether this next Knights of the Old Republic game could be handled over to Obsidian. The problem here is, though, that Obsidian is now a Microsoft studio, while Electronic Arts has the exclusive rights to make Star Wars games until 2023 at least.
It’s a case of wait and see, but it’s clear many gamers and Star Wars fans would be delighted if another Knights of the Old Republic game turns out to be a reality nonetheless.