Will There Be A Star Wars: Knights Of The Old Republic 3?
It's finally happening: After just under twenty years of being hailed as the greatest "Star Wars" game ever created, "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic" is getting a remake. The project was announced in September 2021 by Aspyr, the company responsible for many of the recent ports of "Star Wars" titles to current-gen platforms. While some were disappointed that the remake isn't in the hands of Bioware or Obsidian— the dev teams responsible for the original game and its sequel, respectively— the general reception has been one of excitement for a fully fleshed-out revival of the beloved storyline, complete with modern graphics and gameplay more akin to the gorgeous and fluid experience of "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order."
But this does beg the question: Will Disney be adding the timeline of Darth Revan to the new "Star Wars" continuity? After the megacorporation wiped the franchise canon clean of every bit of non-film lore, any new developments in the "KotOR" series beyond remasters and additions to the MMO seemed rather unlikely for a time. If Disney has set its sights (and its dollars) on adding a "KoTOR" remake to the shiny lineup of modern "Star Wars" media, could fans hope for a rejuvenation and — most importantly — continuation of the series?
The cancelled sequel
Believe it or not, a "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3" had actually been in the works after the release of the second game. In an interview with VG247, Chris Avellone — lead writer and designer for "Knights of the Old Republic 2" — revealed that there had been an entire story and design plan for a concluding third chapter.
Envisioned as a deep dive into the secrets of the ancient Sith Lords, the sequel would have taken the player to new places across the galaxy in pursuit of the missing Revan and, eventually, the Sith themselves. Avellone described how the players would have discovered that these entities were "far more terrifying than the Darths that show up. These guys would just be monsters." By all accounts, the planned game was meant to be an exploration and resolution of all the galaxy-spanning mysteries set up from the first game.
Info on why exactly the project was cancelled is sparse, with the only semi-reliable source being the official artbook published in 2008, "Rogue Leaders: the Story of Lucasarts." Alongside some very cool pieces of unreleased concept art (also available in an excerpt archived on Unseen64), the book describes how the developers got as far as writing and designing most of the story and environment/worlds as well as quests and major characters before the project "fell victim to LucasArts hitting possibly the most difficult period in the company's history."
It all depends on the remake
Now with Disney backing the revival of the "KoTOR" series, a third game seems more likely than ever; but, unfortunately, even educated guesses will have to wait until the remake has been published. Two major aspects of the possible "KoTOR 3" all depend on the upcoming revival: Firstly (and most obviously), how commercially successful it is will decide whether Disney is likely to greenlight a continuation. Nothing is guaranteed, even if the remake ends up being a complete smash hit, but the likelihood of a third game is completely nixed if it doesn't sell well to begin with.
Secondly, the direction that the remake takes would most likely set the tone for the potential sequel, in gameplay and story both. Despite being a choice-based roleplaying game made with DNA from titles like "Baldur's Gate," fans have argued that the player experience of the original "KoTOR" ended up meaning very little in the grand scheme of things, as LucasArts firmly declared a set canon with published novelizations to cement it. With this in mind, how Disney and Aspyr will handle the role-playing aspect of the series remains to be seen.
Will the remake be a faithful adaptation of the original beloved RPG, or will it be a beautiful and smooth gameplay experience that ultimately lacks player agency when it comes to the story? Either way, the direction it takes will set the course for any potential continuations — and for now, all fans can do is wait and hope.