KotOR franchise to continue, says LucasArts

by Alan Rose { Nov 28th 2006 at 7:40PM }

Not sure how I missed this one last week. All that turkey and football must have conspired with the dark side to cloud my awareness of all things Star Wars. In an interview with Next Generation's Colin Campbell, LucasArts VP Nancy MacIntyre mapped out her company's plans to continue delivering Star Wars goodness to Force-sensitive geeks like me over the next few years.

"Our fans want a logical progression of the Star Wars story line, so we are committed to only two Star Wars experiences a year," says MacIntyre. This must be a new policy moving forward because there have been no fewer than 25 Star Wars titles released in the past seven years (not counting handhelds), and at least one of those games had some serious continuity problems.

Still, the best news is the continuation of an old favorite, as MacIntyre confirms: "We've also got Star Wars franchises like Knights of the Old Republic ... that we will not leave behind. It's very important to us that we grow those franchises." It's important to us too, Nancy! The big question now is, will Obsidian return to helm the Ebon Hawk? Feargus Urquhart indicated earlier this year they would be happy to work on KotOR 3, but whomever LucasArts selects, let's hope enough time is allocated to finish the next installment properly.

See also: Mod community strikes back, restoring KotOR2

Tags: bastila shan, Ebon Hawk, Feargus Urquhart, Knights of the Old Republic, kotor, LucasArts, Nancy MacIntyre, Obsidian, Star Wars

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Codicier @ Nov 28th 2006 8:20PM

A few words of advice to Lucasarts on this:

Bioware, Mass Effect Engine, Ample time.

Drool.

Jedimonkey27 @ Nov 28th 2006 7:47PM

I believe that I speak for all Star Wars Nerds when I say:

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!11!!!!!!1!

I just hope they finish it unlike KOTOR 2.

Meyithi @ Nov 28th 2006 7:56PM

Why haven't Obsidian strive to finish KoTOR II themselves after release via patches/addon pack instead of the fan base having to do it? I suspect it's due to their being no monetary reward for doing so.

Doesn't exactly make me quiver with excitement knowing they may be devving KoTOR III.

redjack @ Nov 28th 2006 7:50PM

All I want is a Wii Star Wars with freakin' lightsabers man!

obi-wan @ Nov 28th 2006 8:23PM

Bastila Shan. Mira. Echani Handmaiden. drool. :-p

Wild Homes @ Nov 28th 2006 8:31PM

the second game in the series was absolutely awful. and as much as I hear people blaming LucasArts for rushing Obsidian, you're being real naive if you think the game wasn't doomed long before LucasArts pushed it out the door. the real problem with the second game isn't the poor graphics, mind-numbingly slow single-digit framerates, or complete cut-off ending. the real problem was the complete and utter lack of any compelling story. the first game succeeded because BioWare told a really, really great story with an engaging hook (many people I know really didn't see it coming at all-- I only caught on a few moments before the reveal, myself) and the second game followed that up with a really, really uninspired bit of storytelling that just walked us through many of the same environments with bland facsimiles of the original supporting cast. not to mention the absolutely preposterous notion of whiny-ass Kreia actually tutoring your Helen Keller jedi ass as this sort of bored-benevolent, pseudo-evil Darth. oh god, I think I'm going to throw up just thinking about KOTOR2. get Obsidian the fuck away from this franchise.

(though I have to admit, at two AM, in the dark, when you've stayed up fifteen hours to get to Korriban, "apathy is death" was seriously spine-tingling.)

The Matador @ Nov 29th 2006 8:20PM

I read about this on the team-gizka forums. Since there is only one announced Start Wars experience next year (Star Wars '07), We might be seeing KotOR III as early as Q4 next year. On the other hand, if it doesn't come out next year, we could be waiting until Q4 '09 (Because of the TV series and cartoon series that are planned). I really want to see KotOR III come out soon, but I'd rather wait for them to make it good. KotOR II was too ambitious for the amount of time that they had, so I'm really willing to be patient for perfection.

DarkXaero @ Nov 28th 2006 9:02PM

KOTOR II was as good as KOTOR I if not better. The story/writing were on par with KOTOR I (except the ending, you can thank Lucas Arts for that). I personally thought the writing and the characters were even better in KOTOR II. So what if the story didn't have a huge twist like the first game? A story doesn't need a unpredictable twist to be good. The quests in KOTOR II were simply more fun than KOTOR I. As for the person who said that why didn't Obsidian make a add-on pack for KOTOR II, are you retarded? That decision is up to Lucas Arts not Obsidian and do you think Lucas Arts would ever allow that? Do you think a company would publicly claim that they were responsible for the game being rushed and having a lot of content cut?

As for the engine/performance, it was the same as the first game due to little time difference between the sequel and the original.

Considering the amount of time that Obsidian took to make KOTOR II (13 months unless I am wrong), I would rather see Obsidian develop the game rather than Bioware. Obsidian did a damn good job in that short time despite pressure from Lucas Arts. I believe they can do a better job if they are given the ample time. Chris Avellone (KOTOR II, Planescape Torment, NWN2) is definitely capable of writing a excellent story. Hopefully the project goes to Obsidian. It definitely won't be Bioware because Bioware has already said it before that they won't do licensed games anymore. It's for the good of us anyway if you look at the poor quality of Bioware's previous game (Jade Empire). Hopefully a official announcement regarding KOTOR III is made soon.

rpg_man @ Nov 28th 2006 9:51PM

I would have to disagree, Homes. Although I thought the butchered ending practically ruined what was an excellent game, I thought the characters were a little deeper this time around, and the influence system added some depth. I hope Obsidian gets another shot at this.

bazald @ Nov 28th 2006 9:32PM

While I had already believed this was likely for some time, I'm glad to hear that this is indeed the case. Very exciting. I expect the Team Gizka crew will finish the KoTOR II restoration in time to allow one to replay it properly before III hits the shelves. It is a good time to be a KoTOR fan.

TJ @ Nov 28th 2006 10:12PM

Let Bioware handle KotOR III. But keep the cool influence system Obsidian developed in place.

And I wouldn't mind if that Dancer's Outfit showed up again! ;)

mietha CAG @ Nov 28th 2006 10:22PM

Personally, I loved II. It wasn't as good as I, but it was still great. Easily still in the top 10 on Xbox.

Arkon @ Nov 28th 2006 10:28PM

I've been waiting for an announcement like this for a very long time.

Although this is not a confirmation of KOTOR 3 being made, it makes me so happy that Lucasarts is committed to the KOTOR series. I had recently lost almost all hope with the third in the series being made anytime in the near future.

AloraHalon @ Nov 28th 2006 10:45PM

KOTOR II was good despite the terrible ending but I do believe that overall it was a good game. I mean seriously nothing can compare to KOTOR I. Hopefully though KOTOR III will be able to answer questions while adding to the glory that is KOTOR. KOTOR kicks ass!

blackace @ Nov 28th 2006 10:59PM

dude, i loved kotor the story was great and so was the gameplay, kotor2 kinda sucked, but this is great news, i really hope they make it more like the original

matt @ Nov 28th 2006 11:29PM

unless bioware does kotor3 its bound to fail...no thanx to obsidian & their pathetic excuse for kotor2 endding

Cybele @ Nov 28th 2006 11:52PM

KotOR I is vastly overrated (as is Bioware). It was a cookie cutter, good v. evil Star Wars story with cookie cutter characters. Rather than create an evolving story, they seemed to write it around a single twist that you could see from a mile off (as soon as you spoke with the council on Dantooine, to be precise). The characters were generic archetypes (the jedi with moral issues, the soldier with a dark past, etc) with absolutely awful personalities. Take for example:

Revan: So, how's it going Carth?
Carth: *spasms of uncontrollable whining and chattering about not trusting anyone*
Revan: Huh?

None of this mentions the fact that it was a near complete rip-off of the Neverwinter Night's original campaign (which was perhaps worse to begin with): The evil bald man in red, the female lead with morality problems, and an ancient lost race of lizard people.

KotOR II on the other hand, finally breathed something fresh into the Star Wars universe, delving into what defines the force, questions the Jedi and the Sith, and explores the gray. Aside from the rushed ending, the story was much more compelling as you came to learn more and more as you furthered your adventure. Thanks to Team Gizka, we can expect to experience it the way it was intended.

So, you can guess who I'd prefer to work on KotOR III.

Dirk Dorkelson @ Nov 29th 2006 12:14AM

I thought KotOR2 was a much better, deeper game than the first one -- had it been finished. But the ending was lame, and it was obvious there was meant to be more to do that you never got to do. I really dug both games, though, as well as Jade Empire (which one poster seemed not to like.) Yeah, it wasn't as good as the two KotOR games, but it was at least decent, and I thought Bioware did a hell of a job with the combat system for that game. I hope a similar system is used in Mass Effect.

Anyhow, this is the best gaming news I've read all week. I've been jonesing for another KotOR. Too bad the second one was never really finished. They could have finished it and re-released it as a platinum hits title. It would have sold well enough.

bazald @ Nov 29th 2006 12:28AM

This is a fascinating debate that I've heard time and time again. I played KoTOR II before I ever touched KoTOR I, and I have to say I thought that (II) was a great game. Anyone who thinks that (I) was definitively better than (II) should try (II) again. In hindsight, after playing (I), (II) lacked a bit of polish here and there. However, I still think that (II) was really the better game. If a few glitches had been given official fixes and if the expectations regarding ending options had been met, it would have been exceptional. Team Gizka should apply most of the missing polish. If you didn't like it before, try it again when they are finished.

Brian @ Nov 29th 2006 12:52AM

They need to use the new unreal engine or something next gen. Star Wars games always look like shit. KOTOR 1 and 2 both looked like shit and it took a lot away from the game. They need next gen graphics and widescreen support otherwise it's straight to the bargain bin.

kromekoran @ Nov 29th 2006 2:25AM

this is awesome, awesome news. most fun I ever had playing through a RPG was my first go round in KotOR. I played II to death as well and had a blast. I can't normally stand JRPG's, so it's welcome news whenever I hear that another RPG is being made by western developers.

Draven @ Nov 29th 2006 8:52AM

Hopefully, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBDvawa2HLA is a preview of KoTOR III for the Xbox 360. Hopefully, it is done by the company that put that preview trailer together and uses next generation physics engines.

In the on-going debate, I cannot take sides. I enjoyed both KoTOR and Sith Lords. I thought KoTOR had more re-playability but the story (even though it was an abridged version) from Sith Lords was more engaging. I am going to go against the majority and say that I hated the influence system. I thought that took away from the main storyline. Once everyone knew the time and place to trigger positive influence for every character, the game was geared toward running around the universe to get all the party members to be jedi. It totally threw away the "One Master, One Student" concept from... oh... every other Star Wars material out there. The main storyline just takes a back seat, and the game becomes an unpolished, players mod.

HK-47 @ Nov 29th 2006 10:36AM

I just love hearing all you meatbags whine and whine. Let's go shoot something!

crono141 @ Nov 29th 2006 1:20PM

Kotor 3 on Wii...

Screw it, I'd rather have Jedi Knight (sequel number whatever) on wii.

smokejaguar019 @ Nov 29th 2006 6:35PM

hmmm. one kicked ass, two was better, but its ending sucked... its a promising franchise, i wonder if they plan to make some games in the expanded universe of the new jedi order. it would rock to play against some yuzzhan vong :D

Alex @ Nov 29th 2006 6:36PM

I hope it is released on the Wii.

Autocrawler @ Nov 29th 2006 9:20PM

My personal hope is that Obsidian gets the rights for development, since IMHO KOTOR2 was vastly better than the first game. Its only problem was the lack of polish/ending-which happened only because Lucasarts rushed the game's release.

ixidor @ Dec 3rd 2006 6:30PM

Personally, i didn't care that the first was made by Bioware and the second by Obsidian, i just know this: KOTOR is FAR BETTER then KOTOR II. I mean, i had absolutly no fun in playing KOTOR II while, in KOTOR, every single moment was incredible, even Taris was awesome and i was not even a jed yet. You know why? It's called the PLOT. Obsidian's plot was terrible, the end sucks, the influence system it's a crap ad i was deadly tired from having so much jedis in my party. Also, the old planets came with anything new, even worse then before, and the villains! Someone who can heal himself again, anda again, and again, doesn't matter how many times you slice him off, another one that kills hundreds of jedis with 1 force drain, another one that kills 3 highly trained masters with 1force drain... I LOVED KOTOR and Revan, but i really HATED KOTOR II, especially due to the expectiations i had about a game that, after 1 or 2 hours playing it, i was deadly sad.

ixidor @ Dec 3rd 2006 6:30PM

ixidor @ Dec 3rd 2006 6:29PM

Darth Hawken @ Dec 7th 2006 12:58PM

Im sorry but did i miss something? Why is everyone getting all excited about a "non-announcement" of KOTOR3? It seems to me like she was simply talking out of the side of her mouth on this one. I didnt get the impression that we will definately see a KOTOR 3 anytime soon. Think about the context of her comments. She was trying to convince people there is more to LucasArts then just Star Wars. She simply mentioned KOTOR and Battlefront as a way to reassure Star Wars fans that LucasArts, even though they are trying to move beyond Star Wars, wont abandon it completely. I really want a KOTOR 3 to be developed but i dont think i have the patience to wait another 2 years for it. If KOTOR 3 isnt announced at E3 this year, i will begin to have serious doubts it will ever be made.