'Knights Of The Old Republic' Writer Reveals Why BioWare Didn’t Make The Sequel

We’re almost one year on from Aspyr’s announcement of a Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic remake and I’ve got to admit, whilst the project was heavily rumoured, I was still in disbelief when it was finally confirmed. Dreams really do come true.

Lucasfilm have been creating some good Star Wars content as of late but at the same time, I think we’re all tired of seeing the same characters, planets, and ideas rehashed. KOTOR offered us an original and compelling story, and it’s something I appreciate even more in retrospect. Given how well KOTOR was received, it’s always been a mystery as to why BioWare backed out of creating the sequel.

Check out the teaser trailer for Aspyr’s upcoming Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic remake below.

As you may know, Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic II - The Sith Lords was actually made by Obsidian Entertainment, at the suggestion of BioWare. It’s a mystery that has always remained a head scratcher, seeing as KOTOR is considered to be one of the greatest video games of all time. Well, one of the game’s writers is finally lifting the lid on the whole debacle.

Obsidian’s sequel wasn’t as well received as its predecessor. KOTOR II is in no way a bad game, but critics did note that it lacked originality and was released in an unfinished state. This is exactly what BioWare feared would’ve happened had they made the sequel.

During a Reddit AMA, KOTOR writer Drew Karpyshyn explained, “We actually didn't have a chance to get that far [Discuss sequel ideas]. Various partners (publishers, etc.) made it clear they wanted a sequel in one year, and we didn't feel that was realistic for the quality we wanted to deliver. So we never even started discussions about what we would do next.”

Obsidian weren’t as phased by the one year timeline but perhaps in hindsight, they should’ve entered the project with some of BioWare’s caution. Clearly, KOTOR II needed a little bit more time in the oven. Hopefully Aspyr has taken note.