With the recent news of a Knights of the Old Republic remake, we thought it'd be fun to return to this look behind the curtains of BioWare's groundbreaking original. This piece was originally published in December 2017.

There are spoilers ahead for Knights of the Old Republic.

How do you follow a game like Knights of the Old Republic, the most famous original Star Wars tale a video game has ever told? Forget about Obsidian's sequel for a moment and imagine it was BioWare staring at a piece of paper wondering how to follow a twist like Revan's. Because once upon a time BioWare was - and it came up with an idea.

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It doesn't sound like EA is involved in the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake.

This week, during Sony's PlayStation Showcase event, Aspyr's long-rumoured KOTOR remake was finally confirmed as coming to PC and PlayStation 5 as a console launch exclusive.

Aspyr - the Texas-based studio that has collaborated with Lucasfilm on various projects for over a decade, including ports of the original Knights of the Old Republic to iPhone and iPad - was recently gobbled up by Embracer Group, the ever-growing company that also owns Borderlands maker Gearbox.

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The unannounced Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake will be developed by renowned port studio Aspyr.

Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier revealed the detail while a guest on the MinnMax podcast. It follows earlier whispers of a KOTOR remake which have swirled for some time, and which also suggested the project wasn't being handled internally by EA or original studio BioWare.

Eurogamer has separately heard of Aspyr's involvement, and that while the developer is known for often releasing straight ports, work is currently underway to make the project more of a remake instead.

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I love a good plot twist. I will always remember the moment in Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic when I found out who my character really was, and always remember the moment in BioShock when I found out who the real baddie was. These things make a game, they sear it into our memories.

But once you know the secret what then? The game is done more or less. You might get a bit of mileage from playing again and spotting the clues, but there are no real surprises left to be had, not unless you're Nier Automata but let's not go there now.
But what if a story could change? What if it was fundamentally different a second time around?

I got to thinking about this recently after talking to a man called Ray Winninger, the head of Dungeons & Dragons, tabletop side. He's only recently been appointed that position after spending many years away from Wizards of the Coast, but he's been involved with and playing D&D most of his life. He professionally wrote campaigns as a teenager and even played with the game's creators, Dave Arneson and Gary Gygax. Dungeons & Dragons is in his bones.

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One of the best Star Wars video game characters ever is now canon - again.

The Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker: The Visual Dictionary book references Revan from BioWare's wonderful 2003 Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic game, making the popular playable protagonist canon again after Lucasfilm wiped the extended universe slate clean back in 2014.

The book has a page on the Sith Troopers, which are organised into legions each named after "an ancient Sith lord". The third notable Sith Trooper legion is called Revan Legion, which makes Revan from KOTOR canon.

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A film based on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic is in the works, according to a new report.

Buzzfeed said the script is being written by Laeta Kalogridis, who's worked on Shutter Island, Alita: Battle Angel and Altered Carbon, among other properties. Apparently Kalogridis is close to finishing the first script of a potential KOTOR trilogy.

As Buzzfeed points out, at Star Wars Celebration in April, Lucasfilm President Kathleen Kennedy told MTV News: "Yes, we are developing something to look at," after being asked about KOTOR. "Right now, I have no idea where things might fall."

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Just in case you haven't had enough Star Wars this weekend, a new, free to subscribers expansion pack is coming to Star Wars: The Old Republic - the first in three years.

A blog post (thanks,
PC Gamer) details the new expansion, Onslaught, confirming the update will not only bring a whole new story, but two new planets, a new Flashpoint, a new Operation, and new abilities, too.

"Star Wars: The Old Republic: Onslaught puts you at the center of the reignited war between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. Will you remain loyal to your faction or work to undermine and sabotage their war efforts? The choice is yours," the blog post teases.

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"I forget everything between footsteps.

"'Anna!' I finish shouting, snapping my mouth shut in surprise.

"My mind has gone blank. I don't know who Anna is or why I'm calling her name. I don't even know how I got here. I'm standing in a forest, shielding my eyes from the spitting rain. My heart's thumping, I reek of sweat and my legs are shaking. I must have been running but I can't remember why.

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Lucasfilm has shut down Apeiron, the ambitious Unreal Engine 4 remake of BioWare's classic role-playing game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

"It's with a great sadness that I'm posting today," project leader Taylor Trotter wrote on Twitter. "I recently received a letter from Lucasfilm instructing Poem [Studios, the team behind the remake] to end production on Apeiron. After a few days, I've exhausted my options to keep it afloat; we knew this day was a possibility. I'm sorry and may the Force be with you."

Trotter posted a picture of the Lucasfilm letter.

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Another of BioWare's old-guard has left the building. This time it's James Ohlen, lead designer of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, Baldur's Gate 1 and 2, Neverwinter Nights and Dragon Age: Origins, and director of Star Wars: The Old Republic. Ohlen leaves BioWare after a staggering 22 years.

"After 22 years I have retired from BioWare," Ohlen announced on Twitter. "I've loved my time with Anthem, Star Wars, Dragon Age and Dungeons and Dragons. But I need to take a break from the industry and work on something a little smaller and more personal.

"The most fun I've ever had at BioWare was as the lead designer on Baldur's Gate 1 and 2 and Neverwinter Nights. I've been a D&D fanatic since I was 10 years old and I want to be a part of it again."

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