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[Godot25]

Heavy pich of rumor salt. Source is Youtube channel 100% Star Wars, who claim to be in contact with Aspyr devs

• Aspyr got the license to develop the remake in 2018, Lucafilm loved their pitch.
• They built an entire team around that project, with industry veterans including people who worked in the original KoTOR, they aim was to become a sort of new Bioware. Their investment in the game was around $30mi.
• They got... embraced by Embracer in 2021, and it invested some additional $70mi in the project, putting the total Budget around $100mi.
• Sony partnership came a while later in the year. It seems Sony have a lot to say about the game, and Aspyr devs didn't really understand why. Microsoft also was approached, but didn't want a game developed by a studio they didn't own, like Indiana Jones is.
• Full production began in 2022. Planned release date was mid 2023 (KoTOR's 20th anniversary), but some people inside the team didn't really think that was achievable, and worked with a more "realistic" goal of 2024/2025. Development was going extremely well, untill...
• Aspyr showed a vertical slice of the game to Lucasfilm and Sony in mid 2022. The first loved it, the second did not. Sony thought the game wasn't cinematic enough.
• Apsyr leadership were at a loss, and this is when some leads were fired (in hindsight Aspyr thinks that was a mistake) and development troubles began.
• Eventually the production was paused, and development moved to Saber.
• Aspyr devs were left in the dark during the process. Not knowing who was getting to develop the game or if they would help them. Turns out they were completely left out, save for the writers.
• The development of KoTORR continued in another studio from where it was left off, the game was not scratched and/or rebooted.
• Aspyr devs only discovered when talking with 100% Star Wars that Saber Portugal was helming development. They seems at a loss why a company with not experience should take a project that they themselves were tailor made for.
• Aspyr devs left in droves. Some 70 people out of a team of 200. They seem to want to tackle other Star Wars remake projects.

Info about game

• Combat was similar to FF7 Remake. Action but with turn based elements. Seems to be part of why Sony didn't think it was cinematic enough, but the overall presentation of the game seems to be the bigger reason.
• Remake didn't aim to add anything new, rather further develop what was already there. Like quests and characters, they would be greatly expanded. Some characters were gendered swapped. All mini games returned.
• A lot of original voice actors were coming back, save for those who passed away. Malak actor was also changed.
• Fully voiced protagonist. Aimed to keep the same amount of dialogue variety.
• Major story remained identical to the original

 

[RagnarokIV]

Sounds about right for modern Sony.

 

[hyperbertha]

They should have presented the footage in 24 fps.

 

[AJUMP23]

KOTOR is such a great game. That is all.

 

[Tsaki]

Have they leaked anything that turned out to be true before?

 

[Infested Goblin]

"Some characters were gendered swapped"
I have a strange feeling that it wasnt female to male character swap

 

[Kilau]

Lucafilm loved their pitch.

So it was garbage.

 

[adamsapple]

t. Sony thought the game wasn't cinematic enough.

It's a fucking WRPG .. why does it need to be "CINEMATIC" ....

they're just feeding into the 'over the shoulder cinematic game' meme here.

 

[FrankWza]

After all the "leaks" that just failed this can be classified under a guess at best.

 

[The Cockatrice]

Huge doubt on this considering who was remaking it. It was prolly a shitty remake and Sony just didnt like it. "Cinematic" means a lot these days. KOTOR has a tone of cutscenes so lack of cinematics wouldnt be a problem for any good dev team. Are we really gonna defend Aspyr over Sony? Cmon now.

 

[Silver Wattle]

So many red flags, number one is the sharing of trivial information.

 

[Duchess]

So, this game is now dead?

 

[adamsapple]

So, this game is now dead?

No, handed off to Saber Interactive.

 

[DR3AM]

They should have made KOTOR a 4 player extraction shooter live service game. Sony would have loved it

 

[Chukhopops]

I think it's bullshit but to be honest, KotoR seems like such a weird fit for Sony since they have no interest in CRPGs generally speaking.

• Combat was similar to FF7 Remake. Action but with term based elements. Seems to be part of why Sony didn't think it was cinematic enough, but the overall presentation of the game seems to be the bigger reason.

If it's true I really wonder what kind of abomination the remade combat system will be, I'm guessing some kind of TPS style?

KotoR already has such simple combat and mechanics.

 

[Morrie’s wig shop]

Weird, this is a 20 year old franchise that has never touched a PlayStation console in the history of consoles. And they didn’t think it was cinematic enough? Come on.
They are aware that it was originally a turn-based role playing game.

 

[Ozriel]

Microsoft also was approached, but didn't want a game developed by a studio they didn't own, like Indiana Jones is.

Yeah, this part is absolutely bollocks.

Xbox Publishing is involved in quite a number of games with external studios. The upcoming Contraband, for example.

 

[ToTTenTranz]

Aspyr showed a vertical slice of the game to Lucasfilm and Sony in mid 2022. The first loved it, the second did not. Sony thought the game wasn't cinematic enough.

Here's the thing:


I fully trust Sony's judgment on what makes a great single player game, because they've been steadily releasing award winner after award winner single player games getting tens of millions of sales.


At the same time, I know Lucasfilm's judgment is trash because they greenlit the Book of Boba Fett and Obi Wan Kenobi series, The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker clusterfucks of a movie, and they let EA make Battlefront into casino slot machines for children while cancelling Amy Hennig's vision for a single player Star Wars game.


So if Lucasfilm liked it and Sony didn't, I know it was probably not good.

 

[brian0057]

"It wasn't cinematic enought."

 

[Mister Wolf]

"Some characters were gendered swapped"
I have a strange feeling that it wasnt female to male character swap

Seeing that makes me glad they weren't able to make it.

 

[Godot25]

Yeah, this part is absolutely bollocks.

Xbox Publishing is involved in quite a number of games with external studios. The upcoming Contraband, for example.

Ehh. Yeah...but they own IP. Like with Ori for example.
With KOTOR they would not own IP neither dev studio.

 

[radewagon]

they let EA make Battlefront into casino slot machines for children while cancelling Amy Hennig's vision for a single player Star Wars game.


So if Lucasfilm liked it and Sony didn't, I know it was probably not good.

 

[Gaiff]

Yeah, not sure if I buy this. I know it's fun to shit on Sony for making movie-games and turning game designers into movie directors but their track record with remakes so far has been pretty good. They didn't throw a bunch of cinematics into Demon's Souls or Shadow of the Colossus to make it movie-like so why would they do that with KOTOR, an RPG that absolutely doesn't need this?

 

[Ozzie666]

I'd follow Bastila anywhere, including the dark side of the force. Some games don't need a remake, this is one of them. Leave it be. Such a great game, probably my favorite alongside Tie Fighter/Throne of the Empire.

 

[PlayerNumber0ne]

• They built an entire team around that project, with industry veterans including people who worked in the original KoTOR, they aim was to become a sort of new Bioware. Their investment in the game was around $30mi.
• They got... embraced by Embracer in 2021, and it invested some additional $70mi in the project, putting the total Budget around $100mi.
• Sony partnership came a while later in the year. It seems Sony have a lot to say about the game, and Aspyr devs didn't really understand why. Microsoft also was approached, but didn't want a game developed by a studio they didn't own, like Indiana Jones is.
• Full production began in 2022. Planned release date was mid 2023 (KoTOR's 20th anniversary),

So Pre Production and one year Full production burned 100 Million Dollar… i highly doubt hat!

 

[FingerBang]

Got to side with Sony on this one. Gender swap and LucasFilm loved it?

Look at the state of Star Wars.

 

[kyussman]

Yea,I think I'm over the whole cinematic thing tbh.....Sony obviously think otherwise,lol.

 

[kuncol02]

Sounds about right for modern Sony.

I said that before and I will say that again. Modern Sony is cancer of AAA gaming same way Marvel is cancer of big budget movies.
RPG game don't need to be fucking cinematic. It need to be responsive to player decisions.

 

[gothmog]

Here's the thing:


I fully trust Sony's judgment on what makes a great single player game, because they've been steadily releasing award winner after award winner single player games getting tens of millions of sales.


At the same time, I know Lucasfilm's judgment is trash because they greenlit the Book of Boba Fett and Obi Wan Kenobi series, The Last Jedi and Rise of Skywalker clusterfucks of a movie, and they let EA make Battlefront into casino slot machines for children while cancelling Amy Hennig's vision for a single player Star Wars game.


So if Lucasfilm liked it and Sony didn't, I know it was probably not good.

Exactly, but hating Sony is hot so it couldn't possibly be that a developer snatched defeat from the jaws of what should have been an easy victory.

 

[Sleepwalker]

Guess they aspyred too high


Ill see myself out

 

[adamsapple]

Guess they aspyred too high


Ill see myself out

 

[Bernardougf]

Heavy pich of rumor salt. Source is Youtube channel 100% Star Wars, who claim to be in contact with Aspyr devs

• Aspyr got the license to develop the remake in 2018, Lucafilm loved their pitch.
• They built an entire team around that project, with industry veterans including people who worked in the original KoTOR, they aim was to become a sort of new Bioware. Their investment in the game was around $30mi.
• They got... embraced by Embracer in 2021, and it invested some additional $70mi in the project, putting the total Budget around $100mi.
• Sony partnership came a while later in the year. It seems Sony have a lot to say about the game, and Aspyr devs didn't really understand why. Microsoft also was approached, but didn't want a game developed by a studio they didn't own, like Indiana Jones is.
• Full production began in 2022. Planned release date was mid 2023 (KoTOR's 20th anniversary), but some people inside the team didn't really think that was achievable, and worked with a more "realistic" goal of 2024/2025. Development was going extremely well, untill...
• Aspyr showed a vertical slice of the game to Lucasfilm and Sony in mid 2022. The first loved it, the second did not. Sony thought the game wasn't cinematic enough.
• Apsyr leadership were at a loss, and this is when some leads were fired (in hindsight Aspyr thinks that was a mistake) and development troubles began.
• Eventually the production was paused, and development moved to Saber.
• Aspyr devs were left in the dark during the process. Not knowing who was getting to develop the game or if they would help them. Turns out they were completely left out, save for the writers.
• The development of KoTORR continued in another studio from where it was left off, the game was not scratched and/or rebooted.
• Aspyr devs only discovered when talking with 100% Star Wars that Saber Portugal was helming development. They seems at a loss why a company with not experience should take a project that they themselves were tailor made for.
• Aspyr devs left in droves. Some 70 people out of a team of 200. They seem to want to tackle other Star Wars remake projects.

Info about game

• Combat was similar to FF7 Remake. Action but with turn based elements. Seems to be part of why Sony didn't think it was cinematic enough, but the overall presentation of the game seems to be the bigger reason.
• Remake didn't aim to add anything new, rather further develop what was already there. Like quests and characters, they would be greatly expanded. Some characters were gendered swapped. All mini games returned.
• A lot of original voice actors were coming back, save for those who passed away. Malak actor was also changed.
• Fully voiced protagonist. Aimed to keep the same amount of dialogue variety.
• Major story remained identical to the original

LucasFilm can see a turd dressed in a rainbow and will think is awesome.. fucking clueless failed company

 

[Thirty7ven]

Yeah I’m sure this is totally real and the game didn’t simply look bad.

 

[SeraphJan]

As long as the gameplay is good, cinematic only means better presentation, not surprised at all, its what Sony did best, It would surprise me if every Sony's first party game goes the opposite direction.

As for KOTOR, I could always play the original if I don't care about presentation, its what Remake is for.

 

[skit_data]

TLDR; Sony only want cinematic games, Sony killed the game

Very big doubt on this info, the whole reason behind shutting down a game can't be "Sony bad" when several other actors are heavily involved and seemingly being the bigger investor

 

[SEGAvangelist]

This feels a bit fan-fiction like to me. Maybe some of it is true, but the story feels "written" rather than reported.

 

[Kacho]

This is 100% horseshit.

 

[Robbinhood]

Sounds like bollocks.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

And I am sure everyone would go at sonys head here.... even though this story sounds fishy as hell.

don't care if sony thought it was cinematic or whatever the reason was... aIl I know is that sony has somehow managed to release more hits than they have not. I would rather shit like his happen than we end up with crap like Redfall.

And Sony has nothing to do with why people were let off or why they passed development onto another team. Sony just said they weren't impressed. And that to me is never a bad thing.

 

[suspicious mind]

I can believe it. Sony lost their way with the ps4. Hours and hours of cringe cinematics with sprinkles of absolute trash gameplay. They even seem to think their fanbase is too retarded to figure out a simple puzzle.

 

[Jboemios]

Not enough QTE

 

[Zannegan]

"Some characters were gendered swapped"
I have a strange feeling that it wasnt female to male character swap

Bastillo

 

[digoutyoursoul]

Xbox knew many fans wanted a remake/remaster of this and still passed. A buddy of mine even spoke to Phil Spencer and Peter Moore when he was at EA about it .

They could of done a deal years ago and have it ready for the Series X launch alongside Halo. With Halo delayed this potentially could of softened the blow.

I hope it still comes to fruition and delivers, maybe next summer we could see something in the form of a trailer.

 

[drganon]

 

[Drizzlehell]

Let me guess, they wanted to add more yellow edges to climb on, slow walking and talking sections, and squeezing through buttcracks in walls.

Fucking unbelievable. Sony can suck a fat dick for this one.

 

[MadchesterManc]

Few things on GAF have folk chewin their fists like Sony and cinematic being in the same sentence.

Maybe what it really entails is that the game looked like a guerrilla's arse considering its Aspyr

 

[Dynasty8]

Hey Sony, not everyone wants a fucking walking simulator

This is like saying From Software games aren't "cinematic" enough, we should cancel their game.

 

[bender]

They should have made KOTOR a 4 player extraction shooter live service game. Sony would have loved it

Aside, tell me if this rings a bell: Q: What's in your PS2? A: Dust.

 

[Dynasty8]

Let me guess, they wanted to add more yellow edges to climb on, slow walking and talking sections, and squeezing through buttcracks in walls.

Fucking unbelievable. Sony can suck a fat dick for this one.

You also forgot constant, constant, CONSTANT hand holding and NPCs that tell you where you have to go, what you're supposed to do and how you're supposed to do it because you know...gamers are just dumb test monkeys who can't think for themselves.

 

[Tiago Rodrigues]

Sounds about right for modern Sony.

Yeah. Gran Turismo 7, MLB, Astrobot, Demons Souls, etc are peak cinematic gaming.