While the recently-unveiled Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic might have a few similarities with seminal RPG Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, especially with its title including being made by the studio where the director of the latter serves as CEO, the game won’t be a sequel. In an interview with the official Star Wars website, Lucasfilm Games VP and GM Douglas Reilly has said that Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic will instead be more of a love letter to the classic game.
Drawing on his time having worked on several games adapting the Star Wars universe, including MMORPG Star Wars: The Old Republic, Reilly notes that this new game is “about honoring that legacy by creating something in the same tradition of a deep, cinematic, choice-driven role-playing game.” He also noted that Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is being built by people who helped shape that legacy.”
Studio CEO and Knights of the Old Republic director Casey Hudson also spoke about his experience in working on a game in the Star Wars setting after such a long time, since the RPG first came out all the way back in 2003. As for why it took so long to get a new major Star Wars RPG going, Hudson noted that “a project like this is a huge commitment for everyone involved, so it took the right conditions to get everything to line up.”
As for why Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic won’t be a direct sequel to the classic BioWare RPG, it is worth noting that the current incarnation of the Star Wars setting essentially jettisoned all of the previously established lore that wasn’t already covered in the movies. Since then, IP owner Disney has focused on creating its own background lore for Star Wars with a slate of movies, TV shows, books and comics. Owing to this, while Knights of the Old Republic might no longer be canon for the current Star Wars setting, Fate of the Old Republic will likely tap into some of the newer lore that has been established since then.
“When we developed the original KOTOR, we wanted to create a definitive Star Wars experience — crafting an adventure that consisted of all the things we dreamed of doing as Star Wars fans,” Hudson explained. “Now, 25 years after we started work on that game, our aspirations are equally ambitious. Fate of the Old Republic represents an opportunity to explore a contemporary vision of a definitive Star Wars experience, using state-of-the-art technology and game design, and an all-new story crafted specifically to deliver on the combination of player agency and immersion in Star Wars that was at the heart of KOTOR.”
As for how Hudson’s studio—Arcanaut Studios—ended up being the developer for Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, Hudson noted that he had maintained contact with Lucasfilm over the 20-plus years since the release of Knights of the Old Republic. This essentially meant that, when it was time to discuss a new project, conversations between the studio and the company went well.
“Our goal is developing the kind of games I love making: emotionally powerful, cinematic adventures driven by player agency, narrative depth, and immersive world-building,” said Hudson about Arcanaut Studios. “Conversations between our team and Lucasfilm Games led to an incredible opportunity to return to Star Wars, and once again we can hardly believe we’re working on such a special project.”
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic was announced during The Game Awards 2025 with a teaser trailer. The title doesn’t yet have a release date, however.
