The Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake — which is a PS5 console exclusive — has reportedly been hit with a very significant delay after two important members of the team were fired. Development of the remake is now said to be "on pause", according to sources speaking to Bloomberg journalist Jason Schreier, with a more realistic release window now being 2025.
The report says Aspyr Media was preparing an internal demo of the game to share with Sony and Lucasfilm. This was completed earlier this year on 30th June, but the following week after the presentation, design director Brad Prince and art director Jason Minor were fired from the company. According to Schreier's sources, Aspyr Media's studio leads explained to staff that the internal demo "wasn’t where they wanted it to be and that the project would be paused". It's also suggested a "disproportionate" amount of money was put into the demo and that course wasn't sustainable. The firing that followed was "unexpected", according to Minor.
As a result, Aspyr Media is now looking "for new contracts and development opportunities". Saber Interactive was brought on board to aid with development back in May, and it's suggested the developer could now take over production of the remake entirely. With Sony publishing the title, it will have had a large part to play in choosing what happens next with the project. After three years of development, the original plan was apparently to release the game this year.
The remake of the 2003 RPG hasn't been since its initial announcement during the 2021 PlayStation Showcase, which simply featured Revan with a red lightsaber. Embracer bosses claimed we would see more from Star Wars Knights of the Old Republic Remake "in the next several months" during a Q4 earnings report back in May. We imagine this wasn't the news they had in mind.
[source bloomberg.com]
Comments 71
They’ll probably give it to insomniac
Can you just imagine how bad that demo had to be?!
I was always decently skeptical of this game. This studio hasn’t done much beyond ports of PS2/360 era games, like the original KOTOR on Switch. A seemingly unknown studio promising AAA level scope without proving themselves first is always cause for concern.
Just give the remake to Naughty Dog, they seem really comfortable doing remakes now lol
Was never really confident in this being anything great considering how inexperienced the studio was at these massive scale projects that aren't straight-up ports.
Maybe they should have Aspyr’d to do more with the game.
I wonder if they pursed their lips like Miranda Priestly 😂
“There's a scale. One nod is good, two nods is very good. There's only been one actual smile on record and that was Tom Ford in 2001. If she doesn't like it she shakes her head. Then of course there's the pursing of the lips (which means?) - Catastrophe!”
As one user said above, it was very weird for Disney to give the project to a studio with almost no experience doing a AAA game and having PS only as supervisors. I understand that they don't want it to be "exclusive" but dude you already have a relationship with sony just give them the project a few years (like FF a freaking decade lol) and then release it for gamepass 2 😂
That's actually worrisome.
Honestly, they should have just let Bluepoint remake the game.
Damnnnnn such a bummer. This project will Likely die now. I was genuinely looking for this to be revived.
Wait did I just see someone say give this to Naughty Dog?!!!!! Lmfao unfortunately the game would then devolve into nothing more than another reskinned iteration of climbing, sitting behind cover and shooting or button mashing through easy combat encounters just to watch another cut scene. They couldn't pull off true rpg mechanics with their current talent and focus level.
But hey they could at least up the frame rate, resolution, and lighting and throw in some tlou2 assets and character model visuals and leave the rest of the game entirely the same and still call it a remake and slap a full price tag on it!! 😂
Oh dear. This could have been a big deal for Aspyr so it’s a bit of a shame it’s all gone up in flames.
@KundaliniRising333 Honestly, as I said before, they should just let Bluepoint remake the game. We can say all we want about the demons souls remake but atleast the combat remained intact. Surely Bluepoint would have done its best to keep what made KOTOR's combat so great.
‘On June 30, Aspyr finalized a demo of the game, known as a vertical slice, to show to production partners Lucasfilm Ltd. LLC and Sony Group Corp. The developers were excited about it and felt like they were on track, according to a person familiar with the project, so they were shocked by what happened next.
At the outset of development, Aspyr told staff and partners it would release the game by the end of 2022, according to two people familiar with production. Developers said a more realistic target now would be 2025.’
It doesn’t make any sense.
The game has been in development for 3 years.
@SoulsBourne128 that's actually a great pick. I'd be all for blueproint
I legit thought this was a 2024 game all along. I assumed it was in early enough stages of development when it was revealed.
Who at Saber was tracking the progress on this?
Lucasfilm and Sony must be furious.
You wouldn't be surprised if they shut Saber out completely.
@uptownsoul Bluepoint is the first thing that came to mind for me as well but I feel like they wouldn't want any distraction as they're working on their first(?) original IP.
@Shepherd_Tallon It wasn't originally Saber at all, but Aspyr. Saber was only brought in recently to assist.
I guess Saber will be handed the reigns completely if Aspyr botched this so badly.
Would not be shocked if this one gets entirely canceled.
@MFTWrecks Aren't Saber, as a subsidiary of Embracer, the parent company of Aspyr though? Surely someone there was getting updates on this.
The timing would suggest that the pandemic played a part here, but even still this seems like serious mismanagement.
Well damn. I'd been having a great day until I saw this news. I wish they could take their time with it and make something that meets expectations. Hopefully it gets picked up again by a team that can get the job done.
@SinfulDestroyer no one said it was exclusive dude, Sony being the publisher can change very easily like they did with fall guys BUT the fact that it isn't exclusive is actually the reason why the project is in this state.
What a huge disappointment. I was so excited when this was announced. But it's probably for the best. Rumor has it they wanted to change the story of the original game. The one thing that needed to stay the same was the story of KORTO. The gameplay and graphics is what needed work. As disappointed as I am this is probably for the best as to not tarnish this games legacy.
Ouch! 😱 I can’t imagine being in that boardroom when the demo was shown. Sounds like there were some really upset executives.
It’s too bad because this was one of my most anticipated games. Each single player game is like gold, when we have the sea of live-service bric-a-brac coming out in droves.
Why does it feel like Sony pulled this game out of their ar*e to pad their lineup at the Showcase in 2021…
2025!?! Very annoying.
@JJ2 The pandemic happened in between. It’s not a surprise that they’re running behind.
Hopefully this is a Metroid Prime/FF7R situation where the project is handed back to a competent developer.
@Athrum I can't imagine how bad it must've been. It's too bad since Aspyr worked on all those other Star Wars games and seemed to be up and coming
Three years of development and money all went down the drain. It's still a good thing that they didn't continue the scrap project just to get their investment back. At least, we still have Jedi Survivor to look forward to.
Money and resources wasted and Aspyr couldn't handle the pressure of the project.
Hopefully something can be salvaged from this, because it sounds like a new studio will start from scratch.
Kotor about to get Scalebounded.
Just put the project on bluepoint games and it will be done before sony know it 😃
@SoulsBourne128 but KOTOR’s combat was terrible. It was the worst part of the game and butchered the D20 system it was based upon. That’s not how that kind of combat is supposed to be played at all. They put a square peg in a circle.
It would be a tragedy if the combat wasn’t completely redone and original combat just thrown out the window.
@GymratAmarillo I disagree with this thought process. The game not being exclusive to Sony isn't the reason it is in this situation.
A game being exclusive to Sony can still be in development hell, while we have known thousands of non-exclusive games that has come out without much delays of this nature.
@GymratAmarillo no the game is in this state because and over-eager young dev team bit off more than they could chew. That and the project probably could have waited before being unveiled.
Better to get it right then to go the cyber punk way. Also being the game that it is, it will get so much scrutiny no matter how good did is. It would be great to have it soon, but I have patience for a good game in a couple years over a poor game now
@nessisonett or perhaps the demo is so awful that they're having to start again completely from scratch 🤔
And Aspyr didnt even make the effort to release the HD Versions on Playstation (only Switch). PS might stay the only Platform where you cant play those Games
@Athrum
Must have been an absolute trainwreck. Nothing close to playable with wonky mechanics
RIP any chance of this launching in 2023 or 2024...2025 release maybe?
@rachetmarvel you are in your right of disagree
but Sony being the publisher means they are paying a good part of the development but the game not being an exclusive also means they won't put one of their teams to develop the game. So the only piece missing here is who had the idea of remaking the game, because it is obvious Disney doesn't want it to be exclusive but they also didn't want to reach EA, ubisoft or other third party developers so was Sony the one who wanted the project just like they wanted SF5 and Disney let it happen just to the point where they are just publishers and limited the options of dev teams?
That is not a good sign, like at all, in fact its vary concerning, I didnt even look at there backround and now that I have, eh, yeah, idk, handing the project over to a team more, suitable for the job seems to be a idea, I wouldnt mind waiting a good few years, better then it sucking.
People don't seem to remember that bluepoint also began with remasters and managed the jump to full remakes. Talking all smart in hindsight about how unlikely it was that aspyr would succeed just comes across as arrogant overreach.
I'm getting sequel trilogy vibes here.
Aspyr launched the switch port of KOTOR2 with a literal game breaking bug that made it impossible to complete. This game had bad news since they were confirmed as the developer. Don't forget this is their first ever game that isn't a port either....
Oh, the sheep have gathered again and decided Naughty Dog is bad now. You people are far beyond pathetic.
Hope they get this back on track with some competent people in charge.
I'm not sure how much money Sony have invested in this already but they really should just assume direct control.
Even if it means forming a new team
Well this was one I was looking forward to. Hopefully they turn it around. I'm very curious as to what exactly went wrong or perhaps it was simply related to not meeting deliverable deadlines.
@Athrum Considering Sony's high standards for big name titles probably not that bad actually. Worst thing they could do would be to a put out an average or bad remake of a classic like this.
I see this as a positive step, it clearly wasn't where it should be.
@SoulsBourne128 I'm kinda amazed that other studios haven't taken Bluepoints methodology and done it with their own games.
They run the game on the original engine (more like a remaster) but run a second engine, their own Bluepoint engine, side by side to add modern graphics or sounds layers (more like a remake). It's a lot more work than a simple remaster, but a lot less work than a full remake, or even a new game like RE2&3 or FF7R. These last are called Remakes but are really reimagining's. They are brand new games with entirely new gameplay.
That said it won't work on all games. Ideally the original gameplay has to stand the test of time and not need a complete rebuild.
@JJ2 it's because they're scrapping the whole thing and starting over from scratch. So it's going to be 3 years again.
It’s my most anticipated game so it’s the worst news I heard for a while. Still a 3 year delay is better than getting a bad game. I respect naughty dog even more now. We didn’t need a LOU part one remake but their level of polish and attention to detail is second to none. You can’t reach their level with just hiring talent in course of few months
The one thing I find hard to believe is that it was originally targeting 2022 with only a short CGI teaser near the end of 2021.
I really love this.
Wish xbox would fire a bunch of 343 people.
Quality control is NECESAARY.
Aspyr is not a talented studio. Nor a known one.
@Deoxyr1bose
To be fair a long running studio that wants to make the leap to AAA has to do it eventually. There is always gonna be that first attempt
Maybe it looked like Clone Wars series. 🤣🤣🤣
@Athrum I wish we could have seen it honestly. Knowing the industry these days it could have been on point but just not looking “profit generating” or allowing for micro transactions or some stupid thing.
I’m not even looking forward to it. It’ll probably end up following the trend of modern Star Wars as a whole, sh*te.
They clearly convinced Sony they where up to the task,seems the demo was a sh*tshow, they spent far to much money, and so del and Rodney where sacked from the project,I wouldve loved to be in that room 😁
So art direction, so this guy thought he could put his spin on things, possibly beyond which the game originally allowed? Need more info before making a judgment.
@themightyant Oh yes, I see it as a positive as well. If it's not going the direction they want, just nip it, but I'm terribly curious, I mean they outright sacked 2 of the top creatives on the team.
Good. Sony have the balls to realise when a dev can't cope and to do something about it. I'd much rather it was delayed for long time or even cacelled than to publish a half hearted effort of such a treasured title.
It would seem it was bad enough that they should probably write that code base off and simply start again with devs that are up to the task. I should imagine the Sony producer will be all over this project as it takes off again, to ensure no more time is wasted.
delay is good , keeps the developers happy no crunch pressure on them. i will buy this day 1 thank you 👍
I never had much faith in Aspyr as the developer for this KOTOR remake. Switching to Saber Interactive would be a improvement. I don't know if it will solve the problems, though.
Regardless of the developer, creating a KOTOR remake would be a extremely complicated challenge. It is a kind of project that if you don't get it right on the concept stage the whole thing will eventually fall a part.
It would also be a extremely laborious task. One could easily develop an entire game just with Taris as setting, the initial part of original game. And then there is still Dantooine, Tatooine, Korriban, and more. Maybe the best way to go would be to do what Square Enix did with FF7 Remake, and release the Kotor remake in 2 or even 3 games.
<<Kotor spoilers a head>>
Maybe the way I would go would be:
The first part released featuring the Endar Spire, Taris, Dantooine and Yavin Station (which would have a bigger role). Finishing with the discovery of the Star Map. The second part featuring Tatooine, Manaan and Korriban, ending with the first battle against Malak. And the third part featuring Kashyyyk, Lehon, the Star Forge and the end of the game.
That demo must have been REALLY bad for them to get fired on the spot lol
I would like to know what was so bad to bring this around. I assume they weren't pleased with the game design and the graphics. But, what exactly was so bad?
I get the feeling they tried to make a game based on the combat of the original and execs wanted real time or something.
I don't know. I don't feel comfortable blaming them without knowing what they were doing.
I guess you cant just make a ***** demo for an iconic game remake
It was written in the stars from the day it was announced that Aspyr was making it. I never understood the hype, people must not have played their previous ports. Sounds more like a cancellation than a delay to me, either way I'm not sure anyone should be surprised
@Milktastrophe
Yes I see what you mean but the report is contradicting. I and probably most people never expected this for this year. It’s absurd. In the best expectation it would be 2023 but I think reasonable people saw it coming 2024/2025 from the (short CG) announcement. They always said, even still in the Spring they were saying it, it’s a huge game that would take a long time and effort to make.
The devs saying it was on track (releasing this year) just sounds absurd.
I think Jason got some legit info but as often he shook them in a salt and pepper bag to deliver a ‘report’ that he might later blame readers again for ‘blowing it out of proportion’.
This is the game that is a remake of a classic game to which they assigned a head writer that famously hated the story of the game, right?
I can't imagine they're having difficulties....
Such a bummer. Give it to someone that wants to make it. Its a money printing press for dogs sake. It shouldnt be that hard.
@Deoxyr1bose Yeah Aspyr made their name originally doing Mac ports of Windows games. Their Mac games were meh compared to their PC counterparts. Other porting houses or when the developer ported games themselves were always of a similar quality to the PC orginal. IIRC they had one guy do the whole port of a PC RPG.
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