The development process for the remake of Knights of the Old Republic has been pretty turbulent. Initially announced in 2021, the highly-anticipated game was put on hold back in July. To date, the remake has spent at least three years in development at studio Aspyr Media. However, it’s been revealed that they’ll no longer be handling the project. Instead, the development of the Knights of the Old Republic remake has been transferred across to Saber Interactive.
The switch was reported by Bloomberg industry journalist Jason Schreier. In a new report, he confirms that The Embracer Group, the parent company of both development studios, has handed over the reins on the Knights of the Old Republic remake from Texas-based Aspyr Media to one of Saber Interactive’s Eastern European studios.
Today’s news may not come as too much of a surprise to some, however. In its most recent financial report, The Embracer Group openly disclosed that one of its major AAA projects had been shifted from one of its subsidiaries to another. This game is believed to be the Knights of the Old Republic remake. The Embracer Group also remarked in this report that this studio transition was made for good reason, explaining that “this was done to ensure the quality bar is where we need it to be for the title.”
Schreier elaborates further on where this studio shift may leave the project, for those wondering about how much more time it’ll add to the wait for the remake’s potential release. He explains that The Embracer Group doesn’t anticipate any issues around delays to the game’s projected launch as a consequence of the game’s development being transferred. However, having apparently spoken to those in the know, fans shouldn’t expect to see a release window for the highly-anticipated remake within the next couple of years, at least.
On the plus side, if, as suggested, Embracer has taken this step because of unhappiness around the potential quality of the game’s development at Aspyr Media, then it’s probably a good thing. Sometimes tough decisions need to be made for the greater good, especially with games designed around such a beloved and popular franchise as the Star Wars universe.
In any case, it does seem as though things at Aspyr Media hadn’t been heading in the right direction with the remake. Delays and quality issues aside, it makes sense, especially after the firing of the studio’s art director and design director after a game demo was shown to Sony and Lucasfilm. Hopefully, with the title’s development in new hands, eager fans may get some more positive news on the state of the Knights Of The Old Republic remake sooner rather than later. Until then, we’ll just have to wait and see what happens next.
