For years, a certain faction of Star Wars fans has begged for a revival of the Knights of the Old Republic video game franchise, which began with the ever-popular 2003 BioWare installment.
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For those unfamiliar with the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic storyline, Wookieepedia provides excellent details, including a list of major characters — Revan (the Star Wars Jedi turned Sith Lord who many wish would become the subject of a Keanu Reeves movie), Darth Malak (the reigning Dark Lord of the Old Republic age, with a terrifying ship, called the Leviathan), Bastila Shan (a young and talented Jedi Knight), and Wookiee Zaalbar — and a synopsis of the story.
This week, KOTOR loyalists finally got their wish when StarWars.com confirmed details about the upcoming reimagining of the game:
Today, KOTOR stands as one of the most critically acclaimed Star Wars games ever, with the PC version amassing a current score of 93 on Metacritic. Fans have long requested a remake to bring the title, originally developed by BioWare and LucasArts, up to modern standards. As it turns out, Lucasfilm has been listening.
“We know that KOTOR is one of the most beloved Star Wars stories ever told,” [Orion Kellogg, lead developer at Lucasfilm Games] Kellogg says. “We really appreciate the stature it has with all of the fans out there. As hardware advances and as our game-making prowess advances and as storytelling [techniques] advance, what better time to allow players to re-experience this great story with all of those lessons learned, and bring it back to modern platforms using modern methods? That’s something I’ve wanted to do personally for a very long time, and I think everybody involved with Star Wars games has wanted to do for a very long time.”
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The announcement also included some technical details about KOTOR development:
Announced at PlayStation Showcase 2021, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic – Remake will see the classic RPG return as a PlayStation 5 console exclusive at launch and for PC. Aspyr — the Texas-based studio that has collaborated with Lucasfilm on various projects for over a decade, including a recent spate of well-received re-releases from the LucasArts era — is handling development, rebuilding the game from the ground-up. So to borrow a line from Darth Vader, the circle is now complete for Kellogg and Treadwell.
IT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING: pic.twitter.com/4kcJ4UiTsd
— Sam Maggs (@SamMaggs) September 9, 2021
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Then, yesterday, “Fan Girl’s Guide to the Galaxy” author Sam Maggs confirmed [above] that she is writing for the new Knights of the Old Republic game. She simply posted “IT’S ACTUALLY HAPPENING”, which instantly angered a number of Star Wars fans, who seemingly have a complicated relationship with the Canadian author.
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An article regarding the situation shared details about why some fans are frustrated:
Star Wars fans typically adore the original two Knights of the Old Republic games, developed by BioWare and Obsidian Entertainment, respectively. However, concerns immediately arose when the remake was announced, due to the modern political climate and how classics tend to be censored or rewritten entirely to avoid what the new staff don’t like.
Maggs has consistently attacked Star Wars fans over the years, denouncing the original Star Wars trilogy and endlessly praising the sequel trilogy, which has typically been received poorly by fans of the classic trilogy. It’s also worth pointing out Maggs has said the original Knights of the Old Republic isn’t her favorite BioWare game, while she now curiously says the opposite.
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One Twitter user pointed out the irony of the situation:
Its actually hilarious all these years they were afraid of bringing Knights of the Old Republic back, they finally do it, and Sam Maggs already lost a chunk of their fanbase haha
Its actually hilarious all these years they were afraid of bringing Knights of the Old Republic back, they finally do it, and Sam Maggs already lost a chunk of their fanbase haha
— Go Kamala Harris! #GIRLPOWER (@iLuvJoeBidenUSA) September 10, 2021
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Quarantined Wez also has strong opinions about Magg’s involvement in the Star Wars story:
People want a Chrono remaster and with all this stuff going on. With Knights of The Old Republic. See graphics don’t make a game, they help. But they don’t make it. Especially with an RPG. #KnightsOfTheOldRepublicREMAKE But enjoy your sjw remake with a writer that hates You.
People want a Chrono remaster and with all this stuff going on. With Knights of The Old Republic. See graphics don’t make a game, they help. But they don’t make it. Especially with an RPG. #KnightsOfTheOldRepublicREMAKE But enjoy your sjw remake with a writer that hates You.
— qurantined wez (@Wes_Rulz) September 11, 2021
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Dataracer got to the heart of the issue people seem to have with Magg’s involvement, rounding up a number of previous Sam Maggs social media posts that seemingly indicate her general distaste for certain fans of the Star Wars franchise:
Bioware has hired Sam Maggs to re-write Knights of the Old Republic.
Maggs is a SJW activist that hates male Star Wars fans & constantly mocks the fanbase telling them to “die mad about.”
She was was asked about her favorite SW game in 2019 and said “Not KOTOR.”
Bioware has hired Sam Maggs to re-write Knights of the Old Republic.
Maggs is a SJW activist that hates male Star Wars fans & constantly mocks the fanbase telling them to "die mad about."
She was was asked about her favorite SW game in 2019 and said "Not KOTOR." pic.twitter.com/73yCRfbjsY
— Dataracer (@Dataracer117) September 10, 2021
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In addition to the ongoing Sam Maggs drama, some fans like Toad Sage Jiraiya are angry about the fact that the new Knights of the Old Republic is a Playstation 5 exclusive:
@Xbox @Microsoft you guys dropped the ball letting PlayStation get Star Wars Knights of the old republic as an exclusive
@Xbox @Microsoft you guys dropped the ball letting PlayStation get Star Wars Knights of the old republic as an exclusive 😭😭
— Toad Sage Jiraiya (@Serg38461) September 11, 2021
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At this time, again, it is important to reiterate that the extent of Magg’s involvement is not known and these are nothing more than fan opinions. No details about the exact plot of the upcoming KOTOR remake have been confirmed by Lucasfilm or Aspyr.
How do you feel about Knights of the Old Republic returning?