KOTOR creator Casey Hudson unveils Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic! Read all about the new single-player role-playing game here.
There are moments that role-players wait decades for, often without knowing it. This year’s Game Awards provided just such a moment when a project was announced that is sure to set the hearts of many old Bioware fans racing.
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is officially in development. And first things first: this is not the crisis-ridden remake, but a brand-new single-player action role-playing game.
Behind the project is none other than Casey Hudson with his new team at Arcanaut Studios. So if you miss the golden days of Bioware, this is the news you’ve been hoping for.
A spiritual successor, not a direct sequel
There was a lot of confusion in the first few minutes after the trailer: Is this KOTOR 3? Is it a reboot? Casey Hudson quickly clarified what “Fate of the Old Republic” is intended to be. The game is described as a “spiritual successor” to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.
So you won’t be getting a direct continuation of the story of Revan or the Exile, but a completely new adventure that carries the DNA of the classic.
Hudson, who directed not only KOTOR but also the original Mass Effect trilogy, emphasized in a interview with StarWars.com the significance of this step. Working on KOTOR was one of the most formative experiences of his career. Together with Arcanaut Studios and Lucasfilm Games, he now wants to return to this legacy.
The setting remains the Old Republic era, thousands of years before the Skywalker films. This is good news for anyone who is tired of the “modern” Star Wars (Empire, First Order) and longs for the conflict between the Sith Empire and the Republic at the height of their power. However, you will meet new characters and experience a standalone story.
Who are Arcanaut Studios?
The name Arcanaut Studios probably doesn’t mean much to most of you yet. The studio was founded by Hudson after he finally left Bioware a few years ago. The studio is based in Edmonton, Canada – exactly where Bioware has its roots.
The composition of the team is interesting. According to the announcement, various veterans who were involved in the original Old Republic games and Mass Effect are working on “Fate of the Old Republic.” So if you value strong worldbuilding, deep companion interactions, and moral choices, chances are good that this team knows exactly which buttons to push.
