One of BioWare’s most beloved and critically-acclaimed games remainsStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which was followed by a well-received sequel and an MMO that was also met with a mostly positive response. Since EA acquired the rights to theStar Warslicense from Disney, fans have been hoping for aStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3from the studio, but it’s been years with no announcement. And apparently it’s because EA doesn’t want BioWare to make it.
This is according to Kotaku’s Jason Schreier, who claims that BioWare has tried to makeStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3happen, perhaps even “more than once,” but the studio hasn’t been given the green light. This is unfortunate news for fans holding out hope for the possibility ofKOTOR 3since EA’sStar Warslicensing deal with Disney.
Hopes were high after EA signed its licensing deal with Disney, and the possibility ofKOTOR 3seemed even more plausible oncewriter Drew Karpyshynreturned to the studio. However, Karpyshyn has since left BioWare yet again, and if Schreier’s sources are correct, fans really shouldn’t hold their breath for a newKOTOR.
Something else that gave fans hope forKnights of the Old Republic 3was when the Xbox One was made backward compatible with some original Xbox games. One of the headlining titles for original Xbox backward compatibility was the firstStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, leading to some speculation that it was being released as a way to generate interest in a new title.
Some hope was similarly ignited when aKnights of the Old Republicremaster was released for mobile devices, and when Disney madeKOTOR’s Mandalorian Wars canon again. Unfortunately, it seems that none of this has helped convince EA to pursueKOTOR 3.
However, with EA struggling to develop a hit game with theStar Warslicense, perhaps it will reconsider developingKOTOR 3. After all, the publisher was criticized for rushingStar Wars Battlefront(by its own admission) and for using predatory monetization practices inBattlefront 2, so it could stand to regain some faith fromStar Warsfans.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3is not currently in active development.
