Star Wars games have been in a good place as of late. Towards the end of EA's exclusivity deal with Disney, the publisher has managed to put out impressive titles such as Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and Squadrons, while also continuously improving Battlefront 2 following its rough launch. With the deal set to expire soon, Disney aims to keep this streak alive with a few upcoming games from a variety of developers, one of which is reportedly a remake of the famed Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Fans have been clamoring for a new Knights of the Old Republic game for quite some time, but not necessarily a remake. Like Star Wars: Battlefront 3KOTOR 3 is one of those white whales of Star Wars games that never came to be, despite high fan demand. With a remake possibly in the works, one has to wonder: Could KOTOR 3 be on the way? It's possible, but doesn't seem very probable.

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KOTOR Trilogy: One Step At A Time

knights of the old republic 3

There are many questions surrounding the Knights of the Old Republic remake. Will it be mostly the same game? Will it make any big changes in either story or gameplay? Will it be a part of the new Star Wars canon established by Disney, or will it be relegated to the Legends banner? No one knows, but one thing appears certain: The series seems to be hitting reset and starting from the beginning.

With this in mind, delivering KOTOR 3 isn't as simple as creating another sequel, and that's all thanks to KOTOR 2. If the remake does make heavy changes to KOTOR 1's characters, settings, or story elements, there are bound to be contradictions with 2004's KOTOR 2.

Aspyr could always develop the KOTOR remake to ensure it aligns perfectly with the story present in the sequel, but then the developer runs the risk of making the remake feel like it's changing too little. Additionally, trying to strictly adhere to the Star Wars canon from 2004 would also likely prevent Aspyr from implementing some of the interesting ideas, concepts, species, and planets to have entered the Star Wars lore since then.

Even if Aspyr did, for whatever reason, attempt to create KOTOR 3 following the remake, there would be an issue of technical inequity across the series. To get the whole story, players would have to play a modernized version of KOTOR 1, follow it up with KOTOR 2, and cap it off with KOTOR 3, which, like the remake, would presumably follow more modern game design philosophies.

The disparity in graphics, gameplay, and potentially lore between the middle game and the bookends surrounding it makes it incredibly unlikely that the KOTOR 3 that has long been on the wishlists of many fans for 17 years will ever be released. As it exists, KOTOR 2 can't be a bridge between KOTOR remake and KOTOR 3. It could be a sequel to the original KOTOR duology, but then what would be the point of the KOTOR remake?

That being said, should the KOTOR remake prove successful, either a remake of the second game, or a sequel to the remake — should it drastically change KOTOR's story — could be possibilities. If this happens, then a perfect road is paved for KOTOR 3 to not just exist, but to have a strong, consistent foundation behind it. However, when thinking of KOTOR 3, it's important to remember a few things: The road ahead is built on many big "ifs," and everything here is conjecture. Even if the game were to get made, considering that KOTOR 1's remake probably isn't releasing anytime soon, KOTOR 3 would likely be incredibly far, far away.

The Old Republic And The High Republic

jedi high republic star wars

Fans of KOTOR surely raised an eyebrow when Star Wars: The High Republic was announced last year. The latest Star Wars multimedia project has some similarities with Knights of the Old Republic. The names are similar, and so are the settings; both take place prior to the films, focusing on past generations of the Jedi and the Republic.

Given how hard Disney has been pushing The High Republic, it's hard to imagine the company willingly allowing a similar franchise to share the limelight and possibly confuse consumers. Barring a name change or some other way to distinguish it from the latest large-scale Star Wars project, it's entirely possible that the KOTOR remake may not be meant to revive the franchise, but rather fill another page in the Star Wars mythos.

Within the canon, the Old Republic has ties to an item that keeps popping up in Star Wars. During the fall of the Old Republic, the Darksaber was stolen by the Mandalorians. This weapon has been featured prominently in television shows such as The Clone Wars, and The Mandalorian, and if that trend continues, it could possibly play a key role in KOTOR's remake.

One route a KOTOR remake could go would be to delve into some of the lore concerning the Darksaber. The game could conclude with the theft of the Darksaber and the fall of the Old Republic. Such a story would allow it to tie into other Star Wars media involving the Darksaber quite nicely, but there's one problem: One can't have Knights of the Old Republic if the Old Republic is no more. This route would almost certainly close the door to a KOTOR 3. 

So is KOTOR 3 on the way? That remains to be seen, but fans probably shouldn't hold their breath. If it is, then it's almost certainly a long way out, and probably wouldn't be seen until the late 2020s at the earliest. But KOTOR 3, or even a new KOTOR series beyond just the remake, feels contingent on if Disney is comfortable running two separate, side-by-side series that have a lot in common. The case for KOTOR 3 doesn't seem particularly strong in the force, but as evidenced by the iconic films, the force can sometimes work in mysterious ways. Hopefully, this is one of those times.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake is rumored to be in development.

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