Fans of the Star Wars RPG series "Knights of the Old Republic" who have clamored for the long awaited third installment might find themselves slightly disappointed by recent events. Given certain deals made since Disney took over the reins, odds of the third game happening are very low at best. Now, I hear you. Han said “Never tell me the odds!” But without this pertinent information, gamers might be in the dark on exactly how much they will need to mobilize to make this happen.
Here is why things look bleak: When Disney took over the Star Wars franchise, they gained rights to all aspect of it, including gaming. They also have complete say so over what is canon and what is not…even on works previously released. And unfortunately, Disney ruled that all works not in the films or the series “The Clone Wars” is no longer canon. Period. This includes all the books, classic games such as “Shadows of the Empire”, and you guessed it…“Knights of the Old Republic.” All of these stories are now considered “Legends” and part of theoretical alternate timeline. What we know to be true, is no longer true. KOTOR is no longer officially recognized.
I know what you are thinking. “No big deal. They can still make KOTOR 3, fans won’t care that it isn’t officially canon. They just want a good game!” Wrong again! See, Disney gave all gaming production rights to Electronic Arts. However, there were conditions attached. The one that is of greatest concern here is that Disney will only allow them to make games tied into the recognized Star Wars canon. So even though EA now owns Bioware (created KOTOR 1) and Obsidian (created KOTOR 2) has expressed interest in making the new game…neither options matter since KOTOR is not canon. With this in mind, KOTOR 3 is highly unlikely, especially considering that Disney thinks they know what you want and will be focused on tie-in games with the new movies.
Is there any hope? Possibly. It was announced some time ago that EA/Bioware was working on a secret Star Wars game described as “open world” using the Frostbite engine. Certainly sounds like something that could be a KOTOR game, especially considering Bioware’s upcoming “Dragon Age: Inquisition” is open world using the same engine. Also, this game was in production before all of this canon nonsense went down. So could it be KOTOR? Could it be immune to the new Disney rules? Maybe. But if it is not, nothing short of a fan mobilization will likely get the third game to surface in the foreseeable future. My advice? Make some noise, KOTOR fans. Make lots and lots of noise.
CT
Cory Tomas is a personal friend as well as video game and pop culture enthusiast. He can be reached at thecorythomas@thexyz.net.
Here is why things look bleak: When Disney took over the Star Wars franchise, they gained rights to all aspect of it, including gaming. They also have complete say so over what is canon and what is not…even on works previously released. And unfortunately, Disney ruled that all works not in the films or the series “The Clone Wars” is no longer canon. Period. This includes all the books, classic games such as “Shadows of the Empire”, and you guessed it…“Knights of the Old Republic.” All of these stories are now considered “Legends” and part of theoretical alternate timeline. What we know to be true, is no longer true. KOTOR is no longer officially recognized.
I know what you are thinking. “No big deal. They can still make KOTOR 3, fans won’t care that it isn’t officially canon. They just want a good game!” Wrong again! See, Disney gave all gaming production rights to Electronic Arts. However, there were conditions attached. The one that is of greatest concern here is that Disney will only allow them to make games tied into the recognized Star Wars canon. So even though EA now owns Bioware (created KOTOR 1) and Obsidian (created KOTOR 2) has expressed interest in making the new game…neither options matter since KOTOR is not canon. With this in mind, KOTOR 3 is highly unlikely, especially considering that Disney thinks they know what you want and will be focused on tie-in games with the new movies.
Is there any hope? Possibly. It was announced some time ago that EA/Bioware was working on a secret Star Wars game described as “open world” using the Frostbite engine. Certainly sounds like something that could be a KOTOR game, especially considering Bioware’s upcoming “Dragon Age: Inquisition” is open world using the same engine. Also, this game was in production before all of this canon nonsense went down. So could it be KOTOR? Could it be immune to the new Disney rules? Maybe. But if it is not, nothing short of a fan mobilization will likely get the third game to surface in the foreseeable future. My advice? Make some noise, KOTOR fans. Make lots and lots of noise.
CT
Cory Tomas is a personal friend as well as video game and pop culture enthusiast. He can be reached at thecorythomas@thexyz.net.
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