Work on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic game remake is paused indefinitely

The highly-anticipated remake of arguably one of the best Star Wars video games is in serious trouble.

Due to a series of immediate and abrupt firings at game studio Aspyr, the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake is on indefinite pause.

The company is seeking new development opportunities, and the fate of the remake remains unknown.

Speaking to Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier, employees at Aspyr who were not authorised to speak on the matter publicly, confirmed that the remake of Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) was on indefinite hiatus while the company seeks to realign its focus.

Aspyr had previously worked on porting existing games to other platforms, which included the port of Knights of the Old Republic to iOS and Android.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. Picture: LucasArts

This halt in production comes off a recent presentation of a vertical slice (commonly referred to as a demo) of the game for Lucasfilm and Sony Group Corp, who was assisting with the production.

While developers felt that they were on the right track with the demo, the company fired the design and art directors the next week, leaving the other employees dumbfounded.

Studio leaders told the rest of the staff that the vertical slice presented was not what they wanted, and to put a pause on the project.

One suggestion from someone who attended the meeting was that a large amount of money had been put into the demo showcasing a course that was not sustainable in the long term.

Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic. Picture: LucasArts

Another potential reason for the pause is the timeline expected of the developers. First announced in September of last year, the project was internally estimated to release later this year.

Developers realigned that target after the firings, stating that a release likely wouldn’t happen until 2025 — if at all. Many staff at Aspyr fear that the project may get passed along to another studio entirely, as Saber Interactive was brought onto the project back in May.

Saber is another company known for major game ports to other platforms but also works on unique projects, such as Evil Dead: The Game.

This news about the remake comes hot off the heels of high-profile game delays and cancellations. Ubisoft recently announced several project cancellations, while supporting a game rumoured to be cancelled.

While the fate of the remake remains in limbo, there’s no shortage of Star Wars news. Comic-Con recently wrapped up, and several massive experiences were available for fans, featuring a lot of costume displays and hints at upcoming media in the franchise.

Written by Junior Miyai on behalf of GLHF