The highly anticipated next-generation remake ofStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republichas been delayed indefinitely, according to a new report from Bloomberg writerJason Schreier. Moreover, there’s a fear among those at Aspyr Media, the company in charge of the remake, that development is in jeopardy following upheaval within their ranks.
News of the delay comes after the Austin-based company fired the game’s design directorBrad Princeand art directorJason Minorfollowing the game’s demo presentation to its creative partners at Sony and Lucasfilm. According to Bloomberg, there were multiple issues within the creative team, including frustration from Aspyr that the game wasn’t as far along as they hoped and a dispute over when the game would be ready to release. Reportedly, Aspyr was pushing its team for a late 2022 release date on PlayStation 5 and Windows while developers feared the game wouldn’t be ready until 2025. The mounting troubles led the studio’s head to ultimately tell the staff to put the title on hold for the foreseeable future while a path forward is decided.
On a larger level, Aspyr has been facing major changes too. The company was recently acquired by Embracer Group, a holding company that also happens to ownEvil Dead: The Gamedevelopers Saber Interactive. Embracer also attached Saber to theKnights of the Old Republicremake to help development. Those within Aspyr told Bloomberg that it was possible Saber would take over the project themselves with development stalling out.
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Originallyannounced back in September of last year, theKnights of the Old Republicremake was something fans had been dreaming of for years. Developed by BioWare and the now-defunct LucasArts, the RPG was lauded at the time for its freedom of choice, allowing players to travel either the light or dark side of the force based on their actions along their journey. Set 4,000 years before the events of the original films, it followed the rise of the Sith Lord Darth Malak whose armada brought the Galactic Republic to its knees. Players controlled an amnesiac who trains to become a Jedi and opposes the forces of Malak alongside their companions they meet along the way.
Work on theKnights of the Old Republichad been going on for three years behind closed doors before Aspyr revealed it to the world with a short teaser. No gameplay was ever shown for the title, though reports suggested that it had gone the way ofFinal Fantasy VII Remakeand incorporated a more action-oriented approach. A public release window was never announced for the title though and now, it’s unclear when more could come from the game. In the meantime, the sequel to the excellent SoulslikeJedi: Fallen Order,Jedi: Survivor, isslated for release in 2023for those looking for another way to play through a galaxy far, far away. See the official trailer for that game below.
