As one of the most beloved video game additions to George Lucas’ iconic sci-fi universe, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic fans have always held out hope that a sequel would materialise sooner or later. Following the release of the original game, developer BioWare moved on to tell its own bespoke stories with Mass Effect and Dragon Age series, leaving 2004’s equally lauded sequel, The Sith Lords, in the hands of Obsidian Entertainment.
Since then, nary a peep has been heard in regards to a potential threequel, though when it emerged in 2013 that industry bigwig EA had signed a lucrative deal with Disney, hope was born anew. As the parent company of BioWare and holder of exclusive publishing rights to anything Star Wars related in gaming, many couldn’t help but assume such a perfect pairing would result in Knights of the Old Republic‘s return, but alas, it wasn’t to be.
But why the absence? Is it due to BioWare not being interested in such a project or rather, a result of higher management denying said opportunity? According to details that emerged earlier this year, it was the latter scenario responsible for preventing KotOR‘s return and a new report appears to solidify those suspicions.
The hugely extensive piece by Kotaku’s Jason Schreier – which primarily deals with the schism within BioWare’s multiple divisions and the subsequent effect it had on Anthem‘s troubled development – touched on several canned projects that BioWare’s Austin division had once been working on behind closed doors. Before it was relocated, wholesale, to bolster Anthem‘s development, several Star Wars games, including Saga – a multiplayer open-world Star Wars title – were in the early stages of development. As for a potential Knights of the Old Republic sequel, Schreier notes that it was a project that “some BioWare Austin staffers say was always dangled as a possibility but never really came close to getting off the ground.”
Will EA ever concede to the notion of a sequel to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic? Who knows, but for now, it couldn’t be further from reality. With two major portions of BioWare now assigned to fixing Anthem‘s bungled launch and the studio’s Edmonton division hard at work on a new Dragon Age, I fear such a thing is but a pipe dream.
