Rumors about Knights of the Old Republic 3 are generally untrustworthy, having popped up multiple times over the past several years. The latest claim that it is in development seemingly has legs, however, as it is corroborated by many now-known facts and insiders. These have said very little about what Knights of the Old Republic 3 is and more, but it has been implied that the developer of the game is not an EA studio. While it is disappointing to learn that this rules out BioWare, it makes a lot of sense in recent context.
As many know, Disney has been ramping up new Star Wars properties in the video game world, set to release after 2023 when EA's license comes to an end. This is something that has been building in the background for quite some time, something that re-contextualizes various insider comments. As a quick rundown, here are what a couple of insiders have said on Knights of the Old Republic 3's development:
- In December 2020, Bloomberg report Jason Schreier commented on rumors of the game, stating that "Nobody's going to guess right" about the developer.
- More recently, Insider podcaster Bespin Bulletin claims unnamed sources have confirmed the game is in development to him, but at an unnamed studio.
- Known insider Shinobi602 has said: "It's not as mysterious as you think. It's just not a household name most people are aware of."
While the validity of these claims are still out, there's a few things to note. Schreier's comments regarding the game in December 2020 now make much more sense, as the EA-Star Wars exclusivity deal no longer need apply. Bulletin's is the most vague, while Shinobi's comment is interesting in and of itself. A household name would typically mean that even non-gamers would be familiar with the studio, such as Bethesda, Microsoft, or more, and the mystery itself seems like it should be somewhat obvious.
Obsidian Entertainment
The first and foremost studio to come to mind when "KOTOR 3 is in development but not at EA" is Obsidian Entertainment. Not only did this studio develop Knights of the Old Republic 3, but it has built up its pedigree over the years with stellar RPGs like Fallout: New Vegas and, more recently, The Outer Worlds. Avowed is an upcoming project that seems to be aiming to scratch the itch of The Elder Scrolls, but that's not all.
Obsidian Entertainment has a ton of projects in the works, including one secret project as of last year, which remains to be seen. The timing coincides with a probably timeframe for Disney's back shadow deals, meaning it would not be surprising to learn Obsidian's secret project is KOTOR 3 (though Fallout: New Vegas 2 or some new IP are obviously welcome as well).
The only real concern of an Obsidian-led Knights of the Old Republic 3 is that it's now owned by Microsoft. With that in mind, this would likely make the game a PC/Xbox-console exclusive, which many would not be happy with as a direction for the franchise's future. As such, while Obsidian is the perfect candidate for the "not as mysterious as you think" KOTOR 3 developer, the facet may mean it's not. Time will tell, but if it is Obsidian somehow, perhaps Disney negotiated with Xbox to have it be an Xbox-made game available for all platforms.
Larian Studios
If a more-liberal definition of "household name" need apply and "not as mysterious" as it could be were to come about, Larian Studios would also be a good name to develop Knights of the Old Republic 3. The studio has put out several solid RPGs over the years, and Knights of the Old Republic 3 would be another cart on its hype train. It's currently working on Baldur's Gate 3, which is a bit of double-edged sword here. Since Baldur's Gate 3 is in Early Access, the core of Larian Studios will still likely focus on it for quite some time, so it may be that Larian's hands are too full to give it the attention it deserves.
InXile Entertainment
InXile Entertainment recently "finished" Wasteland 3, and while its particular brand of RPG isn't what fans of Knights of the Old Republic 3 want, it's always good when a studio tries new to expand its horizons. For InXile Entertainment, developing Knights of the Old Republic 3 with the support of Disney but the control of the creative process being in its hands could be all the makings of a magnum opus. The game would likely take this non-household name and make it even more popular, as it could be known as the "studio that brought back Knights of the Old Republic" and in the right way. Not to mention, InXile runs into the same problem as Obsidian given that it has been purchased by Microsoft.
Ubisoft
Notably, game development has come a long way since Knights of the Old Republic 2 released in 2004. With 17 years under its belt, it doesn't seem too like that this new KOTOR game would be a standard RPG fare from the days of Mass Effect 1 and Dragon Age: Origins. Even within that franchise, Dragon Age has taken more open-ended approaches (as seen in Inquisition). As a result, the question has to be posed: is Ubisoft's already-confirmed open-world Star Wars game actually Knights of the Old Republic?
It could be some form of marriage between Dragon Age: Inquisition and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, where companions joined the player in an open-world third-person RPG. It sounds complicated, it's somewhat hard to imagine, and it's a far cry from Knights of the Old Republic 2, but with the right set-up, the right approach, and the support of several Ubisoft studios, open-world Knights of the Old Republic doesn't sound bad as long as it's done right. Obviously, strictly speaking, this fulfills the "not as mysterious as you think" section quite well, but it falters depending on how someone defines "household name." To gamers, it easily is; to non-gamers, that's a hard call.
Spiders
Spiders is a studio that checks a lot of boxes: it's not the most obvious guess, it's not a household name, nor is it super mysterious in the grand scheme of things. Spiders make action-RPGs and removes that mystery, and after GreedFall (its latest game), it's proven it has the caliber to make BioWare Classic-esque RPGs. Very much so, KOTOR 3 would be, without a doubt, its biggest time to shine and prove itself, but if the vision for KOTOR3 was to emulate the classic experience in a modern way, well, that's Greedfall in a nutshell.
Ultimately, it remains to be seen if these reports are even accurate. While the names attached are noteworthy, stranger things have happened in the game industry that a rumored KOTOR game falling through. And if it is in development, fans will likely know between now and 2023 (as that's when the EA/Star Wars deal ends).
Knights of the Old Republic 3 is not confirmed to be in development.