It seems that for every faithful force-user who enjoyed Star Wars: The Old Republic, there were as many as ten dark side-devotees lined up to denounce the series’ MMO makeover. A stone cold cult classic, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, along with its rough-and-ready 2004 sequel KOTOR II, were both big sellers in their day. Big enough, in fact, to prompt then-license owners Lucasarts to take their second stab at MMO success via the franchise.
Released in 2011, the game got off to a great start before cascading user ratings forced the title into a free-to-play turnaround shortly thereafter. This July brought the news that further hardships had squeezed the underperforming galaxy-spanner into a series of painful employment cuts.
Following EA’s acquisition of the Star Wars license back in May - and with talk of a true numbered sequel back in the pipeline - KOTOR II lead designer Chris Avellone has been sitting down to discuss his Obsidian team’s initial plans for the franchise’s fabled finale.
The Sith Lords creator told Eurogamer -
“When we were plotting out the idea of doing the third game, we just thought it would be cool if we were foreshadowing what Revan was really doing in Knights of the Old Republic 1, and what he was preparing for in Knights of the Old Republic 2, and then bring it to a close, the end of the trilogy.”
Preparing for what, you might ask? Avellone describes the installment’s villains as an ancient and deadly incarnation of the Sith Empire, awaiting players on the very fringes of space. Not unlike Mass Effect’s race of Reapers, these malicious Sith would destroy everything in their wake, bringing with them hordes of subservient slave creatures to do their bidding.
This concept formed the backbone of many Avellone-led pitches to Lucasarts, though it was far from the studio’s first interesting idea. In one prospective mission a partially-dismantled HK-47 would “ride around in your backpack like C-3PO does with Chewbacca in Empire Strikes Back [...] You’d actually have HK-47 firing behind you and being your cover support while you’re carrying him around on your back and getting to a repair station.”
In other Star Wars: The Old Republic-related news, part two of high-end instance Operation Nightmare has gone live. Check out the trailer below:
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Tasking players with toppling the excellently named ‘Legions of Scum & Villainy,’ the mission takes place within the Hutt Cartel compound and promises big rewards to any adventurers grizzled enough to tackle it. Incentives include a brand-new vehicle, ‘Kell Dragon’ armor and the ‘Titan 6 Containment Mode.’ Operation Nightmare is part of SWTOR’s first digital expansion pack, entitled Rise of the Hutt Cartel. The add-on is now available for $19.99, or at a subscriber’s-only discount of $9.99.
What do you think of Avellone’s ideas for Knights of the Old Republic III? Let us know in the comments below.
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Star Wars: The Old Republic is available now on PC.
You can follow Sam on Twitter @GamingGoo.