Star Wars: The Old Republic Creator Had KOTOR-Like Reboot Snatched Away By EA
Topics: Star Wars, Knights Of The Old Republic, Lucasfilm
Featured Image Credit: BioWare
Topics: Star Wars, Knights Of The Old Republic, Lucasfilm
Widely considered to be the death of the legendary Knights of the Old Republic series in the Star Wars gaming universe, The Old Republic is a sour memory for many.
The change to an MMO setting from era-defining RPGs sank the iconic series back in 2011, and serves as a constant reminder of 'what could have been'.
But there was once a window of opportunity where BioWare developer James Ohlen tried to revive The Old Republic in the true KOTOR format, and to this day, he believes it could have been the success story that revitalised the franchise.
When TOR was first formed, lead creator James Ohlen 'hated' multiplayer games, but agreed to oversee development due to his loyalty to the studio.
And, unfortunately, we all know how that ended up.
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However, Ohlen revealed that he once spent six months revising the MMO landscape and creating a Knights of the Old Republic online game that would have completely corrected the mistakes that they made with TOR.
In an interview with PC Gamer, Ohlen said, "It was the chance to do Knights of the Old Republic online, it was a chance to [put right] everything I'd said that we'd messed up."
He began twisting the ear of his fellow developers and the LucasFilm president, Kathleen Kennedy, and soon Star Wars: The New Republic was born.
"I remember I got super excited because the big challenge was Patrick Söderlund [EA], who I think is great but hates Star Wars: The Old Republic.
"And I convinced him. It was one of the greatest accomplishments of my career."
But it soon fell short at the final pitch to the EA board.
"We were going to be able to have a Star Wars: The New Republic, until the board of directors of EA, who all remembered the launch of Star Wars: The Old Republic, and remembered spending $300 million.
"They were like, 'Why the f**k are we gonna spend a bunch more?'"
As quickly as a KOTOR-based MMO was designed, it was scrapped, and Ohlen revealed it was the 'beginning of the end' for him at BioWare.
Since The Old Republic's flop in 2011, we're yet to see another instalment of the series hit our screens. Although the wait might soon be over.
With such a massive reputation, any new entrance to the KOTOR series would have to be a blockbuster his, and it might be the reason why Sabre Interactive has taken control of a reboot that is over five years in the making.
First announced in 2021, fans expected the title to have been scrapped after changing hands and going years without any updates, trailers, or gameplay.
But, as recently as two months ago, the studio confirmed the KOTOR reboot is in development, and the RPG could be revealed in full soon.
While we wait, an adjacent series is soon to be launched, as Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic will take us on a new journey, with KOTOR developers at the helm.