Contradicting the November 20 reports of the Star Wars KOTOR remake being dead, Jason Schreier, a co-host of the Triple Click Podcast and a reporter for Bloomberg, claims that the project is still in development.
A prominent industry insider recently shed light on the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) remake, a project that had been rumored to be dead.
Reputable journalist Jeff Grubb, who is well-known for his industry insights, previously suggested that Sony essentially halted the game’s production by withdrawing its financial support. Nevertheless, in response to this assertion, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier stated that the KOTOR Remake isn’t completely abandoned, citing information he received from two sources within Saber Interactive, the involved company.
In a discussion on the game’s status on the ResetEra forums, Schreier stated that he doesn’t think the project has been entirely shelved. The insider said, “I’ve talked to two people at Saber who both say they’re still currently working on it, so I don’t believe that the comment that it isn’t being worked on “in any way” right now is true.”
Can't say whether the KOTOR Remake will ever actually *come out*, but yes, two people from Saber Interactive tell me they're still on it, despite recent rumors that nobody is working on the game. (Saber took the project from Aspyr last year, as Bloomberg reported then) https://t.co/prNTT6iVAy
— Jason Schreier (@jasonschreier) November 22, 2023
Nevertheless, the insider appeared to support Grubb’s allegation that Sony abandoned the project. Similarly, speculating on how Saber’s title would “actually look like” is a very different matter, according to Schreier.
Before you get too excited, keep in mind that while two Sabre Interactive members are still working on it, it might not ever see the light of day. They just don’t have the money, which is one of the most important requirements for its release. For this reason, they needed a massive corporation like Sony to support its development. Who knows, perhaps this is Microsoft’s cue to intervene and turn this KOTOR Remake into another acquisition.
Originally, the game was announced as a timed exclusive for PlayStation 5, planned later for PC, with Sony as the sole publisher. However, changes ensued, including the project’s transfer from Aspyr Media to Saber Interactive—both subsidiaries of Embracer Group.
According to Schreier, two months ago, Aspyr stopped all project work when Sony was not impressed with the vertical slice of the game. And in response to a “worsening” global economy, Embracer declared in June that it was undertaking a massive restructuring operation aimed at cutting expenses. The corporation stated that as part of those ongoing efforts, it will thoroughly examine each of its numerous studios and projects, unavoidably closing some of the former and canceling some of the latter.
Hence, even though industry insiders can’t seem to agree on whether or not the KOTOR remake is still a go, it doesn’t seem likely that it will happen anytime soon without outside funding, and it won’t if Embracer continues on its current risk-averse path.
Well, there are many films, video games, TV series, and books set in the vast Star Wars universe. Among these, BioWare’s role-playing game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) was particularly noteworthy. It became very popular since it let users create their characters and explore well-known Star Wars locations. There was never a third game made, despite popular sequels. And for that reason, fans are becoming excited about the possible remake.
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