Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is one of the most storied RPGs in gaming history, cited by countless fans as the greatest piece of Star Wars storytelling any game has managed, and by a fair few of those as the best Star Wars story bar none.
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Now it's coming back - a total remake of the game, constructed from the ground up, has been announced, and we are absolutely flabbergasted. It's one of the most exciting gaming launches in ages, so find out all the key details right here.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake release date
To cut to the chase, it looks like the KOTOR remake is in a bit of trouble - the game's publisher Embracer Group is having financial issues and it's already moved the project to an entirely new development studio once.
The latest rumour comes from reliable reporter Jeff Grubb, who said in May 2023 that he doesn't think the game will ever come out, so troubled has its development been so far.
In late July 2022, reliable Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier broke the news that the game had apparently been placed on pause by its developers, with no timeline in place for its release after the firing of some senior staff on the project.
This was then followed up in August 2022 by the news that publisher Embracer was in fact moving the game's development away from Aspyr, handing it to a team from Saber Interactive that had been supporting development already.
When you add those stories up, it means we can't see the game releasing anytime next year, frankly, with even 2025 looking like a risky proposition at this stage. Brace yourself for a long wait on this one!
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake trailer
The above trailer debuted during a Sony showcase live stream looking at the future of the PlayStation 5 in September 2021. It provoked an absolute rush of enthusiasm, not least because it opened the entire show.
It's only a short teaser trailer, though, and doesn't include even a hint of gameplay or any real content.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake: Platforms
The single biggest bit of news about the game so far, and by far, is that it will be a console exclusive for Sony - the KOTOR remake is only coming to PlayStation 5, and not to Xbox. Of course, that might mean it's a timed exclusive rather than permanent but, at least at launch, it'll be a boon for PS5 fans.
However, we also know that the game will release on PC, so it's not like the PS5 will be the only place you can play it.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake: Story
If you've never played the original KOTOR, don't worry - we won't spoil that game's marvellous story. However, the setup for the remake is obviously likely to be the same, so we can rely on that for some basics.
Firstly, that titular Old Republic is literally 4,000 years before the events of the main Star Wars films, those that make up the Skywalker Saga - it's a long, long time ago, truly. As fans will know, where there's one Sith there's always another - in this case, it's the twin evils of Darth Malak and Revan.
Revan has been defeated, leaving Malak in his place sweeping through the galaxy, and it's up to your player-customised character to fight back against the tide of evil along with the few Jedi who are around to help. In true RPG style, though, those who want to use the Dark Side can feel free to do so - you can choose to lean into the Sith's ideology if you like.
It's a brilliant story that takes in diverse locations and some iconic characters, from Jedi masters to murderous robot helpers, so trust us when we say it'll be one to experience when it comes out.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake: Gameplay
A big question mark that does hang over the remake is exactly how much it'll change gameplay-wise. After all, while the original KOTOR is beloved, its combat system might feel pretty archaic now, compared to modern updates of the same top-down RPG controls from games like Divinity 2 and Baldur's Gate 3.
Whether we still get turn-based combat at all isn't even something we can be confident about - the developers at Aspyr, which is handling the remake, have confirmed that they want to stay true to the original game's story, and to bring the gameplay up to modern standards. That could mean anything!
However, moving away from combat, we can be confident that we'll still get an RPG where you can move around various hubs talking to characters and picking up quests and equipment to keep improving your party.
We'll also obviously get a major boost to the game's look and feel - KOTOR is really old at this point, so it should be pretty jaw-dropping to see some of its most famous locations given a completely new version to explore.
