EA's classic Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was revealed to be receiving a remake from Aspyr Studios at the PlayStation Showcase 2021 after months of speculation. While not a lot is known about the remake as of yet, it has been confirmed by PlayStation that the game will be rebuilding the classic with modern technology, features, and visuals. While the remake will be a limited-time console exclusive on PlayStation 5, most fans are excited that one of EA's most beloved titles is returning at all.
The game's announcement also comes shortly after the reveal for another remake of an EA, Dead Space. Dead Space Remake looks to be following a similar formula as Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in that it will be a reconstruction of the game that aims to maintain the original's narrative and tone while bringing it up to modern standards, though Dead Space Remake is being handled by EA and its developer Motive. Dead Space Remake also aims to expand the series' universe by introducing codex entries and giving Isaac voiced lines when it makes sense.
EA's History With Remakes and Remasters
EA's interest in remakes and remasters seems to have really picked up in recent years. The studio's modern remasters started with Burnout Paradise in 2018, which helped bring the visuals of the cult-classic racing title to modern standards. Since then, the company has gone on to release remasters of Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit, Command & Conquer, Bulletstorm, and Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning. Kingdoms of Amalur: Re-Reckoning in particular is similar to Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in that it was an older IP owned by EA that was remastered by a different studio. However, one of the biggest remasters that EA has released so far is Mass Effect: Legendary Edition.
Released earlier this year, Mass Effect: Legendary Edition brought the classic trilogy to modern consoles and PC with touched-up visuals, all packaged in one convenient download. The first game in the trilogy received most of the attention, with entirely new visuals and slight tweaks to its mechanics and systems to make it play similarly to the sequels. However, it does allow players to revert a good number of those changes to keep the game's experience in line with the original. The remastered trilogy was well received by fans of the series and critics alike, and let players return to the trilogy's world and story while remaking all of the iconic decisions in Mass Effect.
What Dead Space Remake and Star Wars: KOTOR Could Signal For EA
However, Dead Space Remake and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic seem to be taking a different approach than EA's previous remakes and remasters. They are largely rebuilding the games from scratch with entirely new engines. This means that while they may capture the tone and narratives of these classic games accurately, they will inevitably end up being different. Already fans have been told about changes to Dead Space Remake, including the addition of Isaac's voice lines as well as original cut content. While this approach may disappoint some fans of the games they're revisiting, it does provide a great opportunity to offer a newer experience while staying true to what fans know and love.
However, this approach also takes a lot more time to develop, as remakes are much closer to creating a new game from scratch than remasters. This means the investments in development for these games must be higher than a traditional remaster, while also requiring much higher sales numbers to pay off. However, EA was reportedly inspired by the success of Resident Evil 2 Remake to move forward with Dead Space Remake, so there is a precedent the decisions were likely made on. If the games do end up being successful, it seems likely EA will continue to approach remakes in a similar way going forward. If Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, in particular, is successful, fans may be able to expect older EA IP being reborn at other studios.
What The Future of EA's IPs Could Look Like
EA wanting to give more of its library proper remakes has a lot of potential, as there are many titles that fans have wanted to see come back in some form. This could lead to some interesting new takes on older titles such as Dante's Inferno or Mirror's Edge. However, it is not clear what games EA would want to pursue remakes for, as the financials of such projects are complicated. Titles like Spore would be fascinating to see modern developers give their spin on, but likely wouldn't generate enough revenue to be worth all the effort for a AAA publisher like EA. But, an IP of that size could be perfect for a smaller studio to develop with a smaller budget, and expected sales that are more reasonable. Studios other than EA being able to work on the IPs also opens the door for developers of the original releases being able to come back and reimagine them with modern technology even if they left EA.
There are plenty of titles in EA's history that would make sense to see a return. One of these would be Medal of Honor, which EA could develop to counter Battlefield's large-scale near-future setting with a more grounded experience. EA could also revive the classic SSX series with a remake of the first game's arcade-y sports action. This approach could also be taken with the upcoming Need for Speed game that was delayed so that its developers could assist Battlefield 2042. It also would be great to see a similar approach being taken for some of EA's more dormant franchises like Alone in the Dark or Ultima.
Only time will tell how big of a success Dead Space Remake and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic will be. With how much excitement has surrounded the announcement of both titles, their success does seem likely. If they are successful, the future could be great for fans of some older titles in EA's catalog and could lead to unexpected releases. Hopefully, both remakes will be able to satisfy their respective fanbases, and EA will continue to return to its storied history both in-house and through letting other studios work with its IP.