Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic—Everything we know about our return to a galaxy far, far away

It only took 21 years, but finally we're getting a new Knights of the Old Republic game in Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. While this title appears to be very early in development, judging by the cinematic trailer revealed at the Game Awards and no mention of a release window, it is quite promising as Star Wars games go.

The original director of Knights of the Old Republic, Casey Hudson, is returning as director on this new game, albeit, as part of his newly founded Arcanaut Studios. Hudson is responsible for directing some of the most popular sci-fi RPGs ever made, including the very popular Mass Effect series, during his tenure at BioWare.

While there isn't all that much to glean from the trailer, an official interview on starwars.com has provided quite a bit of additional context about the game and the developers' intention.

Is there a Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic release date?

There is no official release date or window for Fate of the Old Republic. As noted by Casey Hudson, the game's director, in an interview on the official Star Wars website: “We’re still early in development, with many challenges ahead,” but they're going to be "sharing more of what we’re doing as soon as we can!” With this in mind, it's likely we won't be able to play for another couple of years at least, potentially in 2027 or 2028.

Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic trailer

The only trailer for Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is currently the reveal trailer from the Game Awards.

Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic setting and story

We know very little about Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic in terms of setting and story, but here are some key points gleaned from the Casey Hudson interview and the trailer:

• The game is an action RPG: According to this tweet from Casey Hudson, the game is an action RPG, which means it's more likely to resemble something like Mass Effect a bit more than the primarily turn-based system of the original game.
• Fate of the Old Republic is not a direct sequel or continuation: As stated on starwars.com, meaning we're not following on from either KOTOR game, and it's unlikely we'll meet the same characters.
• You play as a Force-user whose choices will align them with the dark side or the light: While this is a staple of the KOTOR series, it's good to have it confirmed on the official Star Wars site.
• The game is set at the end of the Old Republic period: Again, another confirmation from the official Star Wars site as you "journey through a galaxy on the edge of rebirth at the end of the Old Republic."
• Two of the companion characters include a droid and a Quarren: These are the two that accompany the force-user in the trailer. The droid almost looks KX Imperial security droid-inspired, but it's too early time period-wise to be one of those, so it's likely a new design. You can see the Quarren's distinctive head shape and sort of spot its tentacles towards the end, which is made more likely by the fact that Quarrens were in the previous KOTOR games.
• The story likely involves a precursor civilization: You might think this is a bit of a jump, but one of the most common themes in the KOTOR games is ancient spacefaring civilizations, such as the one that made the Star Forge in the original KOTOR. When I see someone land on a mysterious planet and approach an ancient-looking crashed spacecraft, a voice in me screams precursor.

Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic gameplay

While not much has been revealed about Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, it's very clear from the interview with Casey Hudson on starwars.com that it's intended as a long-awaited sequel to the original Knights of the Old Republic games, the first of which Hudson directed:

"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.”

Hudson also goes on to say of Arcanaut Studios, where he'll be working on the game as director: "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.”

Elsewhere in the interview, he also refers to the "Fundamental pillars" of the KOTOR franchise as "innovative storytelling, memorable characters, challenging gameplay, and immersive agency in the Star Wars galaxy.”

So, it's likely we can expect a character-driven Star Wars RPG that's extremely similar to the original Knights of the Old Republic, but perhaps also taking some influence from the Mass Effect games (which Hudson later directed).