2023 is likely to, unfortunately, remain more of the same for the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake, as 2022 left the highly-anticipated title to an uncertain fate. It wasn't always like this, however. The initial announcement of the game came during a PlayStation Showcase, and although it only showed a rendered cinematic of Revan, it lit a fire under the fanbase. Fans have been calling for a KOTOR Remake for years, with it constantly being a recurring rumor in the industry, and to see it realized seemed like a dream come true.
Then, the game went silent. Many took this as Aspyr putting its head down and working on KOTOR Remake, though updates in the following months were scarce. The KOTOR Remake was reported to have been in development for three years, with an internal release goal of 2022. This was never announced officially, though a few months after the Black Series line of Star Wars figures did announce new toys based on KOTOR Remake's Darth Malak and Bastila Shan, stating they were years from release. However, in summer 2022, it was reported that the development of the KOTOR Remake at Aspyr had been paused indefinitely. Few details followed, though nothing was publicly stated, and because of this, fans really cannot expect much of anything this year.
The State of the KOTOR Remake (2022-2023)
Bloomberg's report of KOTOR Remake's development pause details that Aspyr had been working on a vertical slice demo to show Lucasfilm and Sony; the developers were reportedly happy with it. However, the studio heads were not with the design director and art director being fired. It was then reported that the development of the KOTOR Remake was being moved to Saber Interactive, a fact that Embracer Group did acknowledge but did not specify which studios and which game. It confirmed an in-development project was moved internally within its Group, and although many understood this to mean KOTOR Remake, this still has not been explicitly stated as of this writing.
Thus, the KOTOR Remake was in limbo as of mid-to-late 2022, and it seems to remain as such this year—at least to the public. It's unknown what's become of Aspyr's work or if Saber Interactive is reworking it from scratch. The good news is that Saber Interactive was originally assisting Aspyr on the title, so it may not be back to square one. However, that's hard to say since the project has been kept so tightly under wraps. Whatever the current state of the KOTOR Remake, fans have been kept in the dark and that's unlikely to change.
It's not a phrase someone wants to hear in conjunction with KOTOR Remake, but this could possibly be the beginning of development hell for it. This refers to projects that get stuck in development due to a variety of issues, and for these games, it's not uncommon to see them change studio hands multiple times. The good news is that shifting studios once isn't necessarily indicative of this, nor does it mean, should it enter development hell properly, that it'll be a bad game. That's always a fear, but it is too early to fear this. Based on what's been reported so far, fans are not getting the KOTOR Remake anytime soon—as a more realistic window of 2025 was reportedly and internally floated around Aspyr—but hopefully, the wait is worth it.
Fingers Crossed, KOTOR Remake Gets Back on Track in 2023
Because it does seem Saber Interactive is currently working on the KOTOR Remake, there is a good hope and a decent chance the developer has been able to take the project and run away with it. Beyond the doom and gloom surrounding the project, it's important to acknowledge that there's no information right now as to how its development is currently going. It's easy to be pessimistic in scenarios like this, but a lot of this comes down to how much of the KOTOR Remake project was workable, has been reworked, and/or what has been scrapped since changing hands. If in its entirety, that means a long wait but not necessarily a worse outcome.
If nothing else but internally, fingers are crossed that KOTOR's development improves throughout this year and, even if on an extended schedule, gets back on track. If so, it's not impossible that Saber Interactive confirms its work on KOTOR Remake or even releases a proper teaser, but a teaser and perhaps confirmation regarding its current development status is the most fans can reasonably expect this year.
Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake may still be in development.