Star Wars Already Gave Us KOTOR III (But Not As A Video Game)

July 26, 2024

The hotly anticipated Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic III was canceled in development, but fans got the story through another medium.

Summary

KOTOR III was canceled by LucasArts in 2005, but its story was adapted into a tie-in novel.
Star Wars: The Old Republic - Revan picked up after the KOTOR games, continuing elements of the planned KOTOR III storyline.
While unlikely, the desire for KOTOR III to be developed into a video game still exists among fans.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic III was canceled by LucasArts in 2005, but a version of the game's story was released through another medium. Set in the Legends timeline 4,000 years before the Star Wars movies and TV shows, KOTOR introduced fans to a new era and allowed players to explore the galaxy like never before. Following the critical and commercial success of the first two games, Obsidian Entertainment was keen to develop another Star Wars game and pitched KOTOR III to LucasArts.

The game was well into development, but a restructuring at LucasArts led to KOTOR III's premature cancelation. Information on what the team had planned has been revealed over the years, some of which was adapted into a Star Wars tie-in novel. This offers fans a glimpse at what could have been and gives the most definitive version of KOTOR III that may ever be released.

What Happened To KOTOR 3, Star Wars' Most Devastating Canceled Game

There has been a lot of confusion behind KOTOR 3's cancelation. From concept art to rejected pitches, here is a breakdown of what actually happened.

The Old Republic: Revan Adapted KOTOR III's Story

Star Wars author Drew Karpyshyn, lead writer of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, returned in 2011 to write Star Wars: The Old Republic - Revan. The novel reveals the fates of Revan and the Jedi Exile after the KOTOR games while also serving as a prequel to Star Wars: The Old Republic. While there are differences, The Old Republic - Revan adapts several unused elements from KOTOR III. This includes discovering the true Sith Lords in a distant part of the galaxy and a female character searching for Revan, bringing the KOTOR games to a satisfying conclusion.

The Old Republic Online Game Also Picked Up After KOTOR

The Old Republic was the closest thing fans got to KOTOR III as a video game. Developed by BioWare, who created the first KOTOR game, The Old Republic is set 300 years after The Old Republic - Revan and deals with the Sith Empire invading the galaxy. Despite the time jump between games, the premise directly builds on what the developers had planned for KOTOR III, showing the Sith Empire's reign of terror. The Old Republic - Revan also explained why the Sith waited 100 years to attack the Republic, giving the Jedi time to rebuild and allowing players to take control of several characters.

Later expansions also continued the story of the first two KOTOR games. Both Revan and the Jedi Exile returned, which had been set up in The Old Republic - Revan, providing closure to the arcs of both characters. This also exposed players to the official designs of Revan and the Jedi Exile, who have previously been customizable characters in the KOTOR games. Even with The Old Republic - Revan and the online game, the desire for a proper KOTOR III has never disappeared from the Star Wars fandom.

Star Wars: 10 Canceled Legends Stories That Deserve To Be Finished

Several highly-anticipated Star Wars stories were canceled when the Expanded Universe was rebranded as Legends, and some deserve proper closure.

Could KOTOR III Ever Happen?

It's unlikely that KOTOR III will ever be produced, especially since fans got closure through The Old Republic - Revan. It would also be problematic for Disney and Lucasfilm, as the KOTOR games are set in the Legends continuity. Audiences have been exposed to the new Star Wars canon for the past 10 years, and Lucasfilm Games has a series of video games scheduled for release over the next few years.

However, the KOTOR remake is on indefinite hold and could be reworked into KOTOR III. The Old Republic is the only Star Wars project creating new Legends material, but this could change in the future. Marvel returned to the Legends universe with Star Wars #108, so this would be another opportunity to bring back the original Expanded Universe. Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic III may have been released through another medium, but many fans would be overjoyed if it were finally developed into a video game.