Despite rumors to the contrary, it appears that two Star Wars games—specifically the Knights of the Old Republic remake and Eclipse—are still in development. Stories and rumors had been floating around that both of these games were on the chopping block due to behind-the-scenes issues. However, the reception to Ubisoft's upcoming Star Wars game may help breathe new life into the making of those games.
Star Wars Outlaws was officially revealed by Ubisoft earlier this month and is set to be released in 2024. The upcoming game takes place in between the events of Star Wars: Episode 5 - The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode 6 - Return of the Jedi. The reception to the upcoming game was overall very positive and will likely remind developers that there is still interest and a market for the Star Wars brand, and should hopefully spur something positive about KOTOR and Eclipse.
The Troubled Production of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and Star Wars Eclipse
The KOTOR remake was originally announced in 2021, but very little seemed to come of it and rumors of production issues continue to trickle out. A new studio took over the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake project in August 2022. Unfortunately, this move has not resulted in any additional announcements being made on the upcoming game. When asked about it, Embracer Group's CEO only stated that he had no comment on the situation.
Likewise, another Star Wars video game project appears to be in trouble. Not even a mother after it was announced, reports began to emerge that Star Wars Eclipse was having serious development problems. Like the Knights of the Old Republic remake, the game was treated with a grand announcement trailer and then gamers were met with radio silence from the developer on the matter. Despite these issues, both projects are still apparently in active development and recent moves from the franchise may help push them into high gear.
How The Reception To Star Wars Outlaws Can Drive KOTOR and Eclipse
In 2012, Disney purchased LucasFilm and its properties. Not long after, LucasArts was shut down and the license to Star Wars games was purchased by Electronic Arts. This resulted in a massive slowdown in the development of Star Wars games, with the publisher only managing to produce two Star Wars Battlefront games. The reception to both games was lukewarm at best, particularly due to the sequel's perceived focus on loot boxes.
In 2019, EA released Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order which was met with good reviews and strong sales. Despite some performance issues early on, its sequel was also met with good reviews and has sold well. In 2021, it was revealed that Ubisoft was set to make an open-world Star Wars game which was fully revealed earlier this month to a very positive reception. With such competition from other studios, it is likely that the developers of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake and Star Wars Eclipse could want to up their efforts to make these games bigger and better before they are overlooked.
Ultimately, it's impossible to say for sure how the reception to Star Wars Outlaws will affect the development of the remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic or Star Wars Eclipse. If well-received at launch, it could raise the bar for what fans should expect from the franchise going forward. Regardless, this will hopefully convince the publishers and developers of these two troubled titles to push production and make something truly memorable in response.
Star Wars Outlaws releases in 2024 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.