The release of the upcoming RPG Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is likely far, far away. While last night’s announcement trailer at The Game Awards 2025 was surely exciting for Knights of the Old Republic fans, the truth is that the game, led by original KOTOR and Mass Effect director Casey Hudson, is in a very early stage of development.
According to the official Star Wars website, Hudson’s new studio, Arcanaut Studios, was formed just this year, after his previous studio closed in November 2024. The studio’s careers page contains listings for several senior-level positions, so the announcement trailer also doubles as a recruitment advertisement, a tactic that developers often employ.
With the lengthy development cycles that high-profile games undergo these days, we’re probably years away from seeing anything concrete from Fate of the Old Republic, and even further from a release. Skepticism about the game even releasing this decade is quite reasonable.
“We’re still early in development, with many challenges ahead,” Hudson told StarWars.com. “I’m grateful to have enjoyed the support of KOTOR fans for many years, and I look forward to embarking upon this journey together, sharing more of what we’re doing as soon as we can!”
Since his work on the original KOTOR, Hudson stayed in contact with Lucasfilm, and the opportunity arose to make a new title in the Star Wars universe sometime after Arcanaut’s founding.
Details are sparse on the premise. It isn’t a direct sequel to Knights of the Old Republic, but Hudson says that the new game introduces new characters and will tell an “all-new story crafted specifically to deliver on the combination of player agency and immersion in Star Wars that was at the heart of KOTOR.”
The Old Republic has been making the headlines as of late, with a report claiming that a KOTOR 2 remake was once in development before being put on hold. And in other Star Wars news, The Game Awards 2025 also included a reveal for Star Wars: Galactic Racer.