When EA purchased Bioware a lot people, myself included, expressed grave concerns over the quality of future installments for Bioware developed titles. I think I still have a few voodoo dolls laying around just in case our worst fears become reality. Chief among the titles fans have been waiting for is the third installment to the Knights of the Old Republic franchise. Alas, it seemed Bioware was too busy working on a super secret MMO (via their new studio in Austin, Texas), to get around to making KOTOR 3 any time soon. That was until last Thursday when EA CEO John Riccitiello let slip that the new Bioware MMO title and KOTOR 3 were one and the same.
Check out all the details after the jump!
Like a lot of KOTOR fans, I was really hoping EA would talk about KOTOR 3 during their press event at this year’s E3. Unfortunately, they did not even so much as hint that it was in the works. To say I was disappointed, is a pretty big understatement. Though we have had a few great RPG’s since KOTOR 1 came out (Obsidian’s KOTOR 2 is sort of like Treyarchs COD 3), it’s still one of the only action RPG’s I have ever played through multiple times.
Then EA CEO John Riccitiello, almost casually, tells Conde Nast Portfolio magazine that “the one [MMO title] that people are dying for us to talk to them about in partnership with Lucas Arts is coming out of BioWare, which is, I think, quite possibly the most anticipated game, full stop, for the industry.”
Details are still incredibly vague (PC only?), and BioWare has yet to comment further. It seems pretty likely that the new Lucas Arts/Bioware MMO is indeed the next quasi-installment to the KOTOR franchise, which is both fantastic and a little sad. Fantastic in that, for anyone who has had the misfortune of playing Star Wars Galaxies, KOTOR would a perfect fit for a persistent online world. I’m sure I’m not the only one who has wished Galaxies was more like KOTOR. The stats, combat, quests, character creation and level progression are already there just waiting to be taken to the next level (the MMO level). It’s sad because MMO’s are so incredibly hit, or miss in terms of quality, not too mention the incredibly difficulty of making a successful MMO title.
No word on what will happen to Sony Online Entertainments Star Wars Galaxies, but should KOTOR 3 replace it when it hits the market some time in 2009, I doubt many tears will be shed. Personally, MMO or not, I am dying to get my hands on a new KOTOR game. The original remains my favorite Star Wars title of all time and I can’t wait to level my Sith character up and start chopping off the hands of any goodie-two-shoe Jedi who get in my way!
Source: GameSpot
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I hope it’s a Diablo-esque game. I know SW:G didn’t turn out well, but if they do it right, and put the right amount of role-play and action into an MMO, this could be a sucess. Not a sucksess.
“This is almost as good as when the Emporer realised the perfect combination of words”
“Something Something Something…Dark Side…Something Something Something…Complete…”
^ Glad someone got that. It just seemed apt.
SWG (Build 1) was my favourite MMO to date ahnds down, but when they completely borked the whole franchise with Build 3 I ran to the hills. It wasn’t long after that that rumours began to spread about Bioware’s Austin studio being licensed by LucasArts and everyone jumped straight to the assumption of a KOTOR MMO. I’ve been hyped for this since those rumours began and now that it’s confirmed i’m over the proverbial moon. KOTOR has the perfect role-playing system already in place (a complete rip-off of 3rd Edition Dungeons & Dragons but still, a perfect system), and implementing that system into an MMO format would quite simply be a recipe for success, and also the welcome back to Star Wars that MMO fans have been wanting since the dreaded SWG Build 3 (I shall not utter it’s “codename” since it makes me want to punch a child).
Great news for SWG deserters and other Star Wars fans alike!
I read about this a couple of days ago, since I really was/am into the last two KoToR games. I must say Im kinda disappointed, I don’t feel we need another MMO, there’s already alot of them and just mentioning WoW should be enough. They did Galaxy so why not try to remake that instead of transforming another franchise. I might check It out but for now Im left in despair. EA and Bioware has left me in despair!!
DISCLAIMER : I love BioWare games.
That being said — I loved the single player immersion of KOTOR 1+2, and feel a little bit robbed with KOTOR 3 being an MMO. Couldn’t they have done KOTOR 3 with a single player story, then supported multi for larger groups? That way they could gage the real market potential for a KOTOR MMO with minimal risk.
5 reasons I probably will not buy or play this game :
5. Having to explain to a whole new generation of 13 yr. old gamers that a parsec is a measurement of distance, not time.
4. WOW junkies getting multiple personality disorder from candy-flipping. “Feel the wrath of the Horde! Er, dark side!!”
3. The Force Unleashed is looking really good. KOTOR’s not the only dealer in town for a SW fix.
2. Someone is going to play as Jar Jar just to follow me around and ruin my play time.
1. Wookie griefers. You don’t know frustration until you’ve been teabagged by Chewbacca.
I am not getting it if it has a subscription fee. I hate subscription fees.
I would play if I was the only one able to call my character Darth Revan…
Damn. I don’t want an MMO. :/
Well, at least I have Fallout 3. Hopefully, Lucas Arts will Bankrupt and sell the Franchise to Bethesda. A company that just makes great RPG’s.