Be Careful - Why Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is already a double-edged lightsaber

Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic took this year's Game Awards by storm, kicking off the event with a wonderfully unexpected bang. Despite the announcement trailer, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is still incredibly mysterious, and will likely remain so for a long time. The cinematic reveal offered few answers and raised many questions, but there are a few details about the project that have already prompted many gamers to learn more.

There were hopes that it was long overdue Knights of the Old Republic remake would be present at The Game Awards, but spiritual successor The fate of the old republic turned out to be an announcement that could be even more exciting. As if another Star Wars The game set in the Old Republic era was not enticing enough, Casey Hudson is directing the game. His previous work directing Knights of the Old Republic and that Mass effect trilogy has made him well-respected in the industry, but as exciting as this new project sounds, gamers might be better off keeping their expectations in check rather than getting their hopes up too high. Yes, first look at The fate of the old republic was a great sneak peek, but it also has plenty of reasons to be cautious.

The fate of the Old Republic trailer was incredible … but there are two glaring problems

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Even from the first moments of The fate of the old republic trailer, I was hooked. The art design, music, and cinematography in the trailer were beautiful, but unfortunately it was also a stark reminder that it's just a conceptual cinematic and not an actual feature film. Of course it is possible The fate of the old republics finished product can look just as good, or even better, when it's finally done. However, the studio making the game is incredibly new, and when I say new, I mean it really new.

Arcanaut Studios isn't even a year old yet

According to its official website, newcomer Arcanaut Studios was officially founded in July this year. It's a very young company to take on a blockbuster franchise that Star Wars. Of course, with Casey Hudson at the helm, there is definitely more promise in it, as he already has experience with it, but the director has also had to travel a rocky road of late. Casey Hudson hasn't been with BioWare for years now, and his attempts to carve out his own path in the industry have been met with obstacles that could also get in the way of Arcanaut Studios.

Since leaving BioWare, Casey Hudson's journey has not been smooth

In 2014, Casey Hudson left BioWare to pursue other opportunities, but eventually returned in 2015.
He left BioWare for a second and final time in late 2020.
In 2021, Hudson announced the formation of his own studio, Human Origin.
Human Origin shut down in 2024 without ever shipping a game.

Building a new studio from the ground up is definitely no easy task, and unfortunately, Hudson's independent endeavor couldn't really take off. When it comes to studio shutdowns, layoffs and game cancellations, the past few years have been brutal for the industry, and according to Humanoid Origins' official statement, the closure was due to “an unexpected lack of funding.” Of course, just because Hudson's first studio failed doesn't mean Arcanaut Studios will meet the same fate, but it's definitely an important detail to consider. On the bright side, announce The fate of the old republic at The Game Awards and igniting so much hype this early will hopefully make it easier to find strong funding this time around.

The last BioWare game that Casey Hudson was credited with working on was in 2019 Anthem.

The KOTOR remake has been cursed, and the fate of the Old Republic can hopefully save itself from the same development hell

The expected VERTEBRAE remake was officially announced back in 2021. When it comes to game development, four years isn't exactly the longest time to wait, but updates to the title have been virtually silent, with only small hints and rumors suggesting that the project is still in the works. The remake was originally developed by Aspyr, but in 2022 Saber Interactive took over production. Between whispers of internal issues, the announcement trailer being pulled from the internet due to an expired music license, and rumors of conflicts over creative direction, VERTEBRAE remake has started to feel more like a dream than something really possible.

The fate of the old republic can hopefully avoid the same pitfalls. Because Casey Hudson is already well versed in what does VERTEBRAE so good, it's promising that he's on board for a spiritual successor, but his dry spell in the business is also concerning. Hopefully, The fate of the old republics development will be done by a well-oiled machine that has a common vision in mind, but only time will tell.

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The VERTEBRAE remake has started to feel more like a dream than something really possible.

The fate of the Old Republic is years away, but it will hopefully be worth the wait

It is impossible to say when The fate of the old republic will be ready, especially since the studio is so new. What the game teases is practically perfect, but just because the reveal trailer looks amazing doesn't mean it will live up to the expectations it's already started to build. The Game Awards was a big moment for Star Wars fans in general, because The fate of the old republic wasn't the only announcement from the franchise. Racing game Star Wars: Galactic Racer were also on site, so it will be interesting to see how long each project takes to actually come to fruition. The VERTEBRAE remake and Quantic Dream's Star Wars Eclipse has been kept in the dark for years now, and this new offering by Star Wars Games hopefully don't require years of waiting with barely any updates. The fate of the old republic promises something so many Star Wars fans have been waiting for, but it's important not to get your hopes up.