KOTOR Remake reportedly shifts to different studio in midst of development trouble

A remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was first announced about a year ago during the 2021 PlayStation Showcase. Since then, we’ve seen none of the game in action, despite hearing a lot about what’s going on behind the scenes. In general, the talk has been centered on reported development troubles.

This was first reported in July 2022, with the KOTOR remake being indefinitely delayed as developer Aspyr put development on pause to look for more contracts. Now it seems that the remake has changed studio hands entirely. In the midst of a flurry of news about Embracer Group acquiring The Lord of the Rings IP rights, Limited Run Games, Tripwire Interactive, and more, a reported reference to KOTOR was made. Axios’ Stephen Totilo quoted Embracer CEO Lars Wingefors on Twitter: “One of the group’s AAA projects has transitioned to another studio within the group. This was done to ensure the quality bar is where we need it to be for the title.”

While not officially confirmed, it certainly sounds like Wingefors is talking about KOTOR there. Part of the troubled development report mentioned that the project seemed to be too costly and not of a high enough quality, based on a vertical slice that was presented to management. Shifting development to another studio under the Embracer banner then logically follows. It’s important to note that EA is not involved with the project, as its long-held Star Wars exclusivity rights have lapsed.

KOTOR may be running into trouble, but there are several other Star Wars games currently in development. Perhaps the most prominent is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, the follow-up to 2019’s Fallen Order. Star Wars Hunters is an arena combat game that was recently delayed to 2023. Star Wars Eclipse is being developed by Quantic Dream, a studio that continues to be the subject of controversy.