The 2021 PlayStation Showcase included the announcement of Apsyr Media’s remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, which will be a console exclusive for PS5 at launch. This created some confusion, both regarding the platforms the game will be available on, whether the console exclusivity is timed or long-term, and why a game that was originally an Xbox console exclusive would have a PlayStation console exclusive remake. While the initial reveal of the game understandably focused on the PlayStation side of things, subsequent tweets have clarified a few of these points. The KOTOR remake will launch for PC and PS5 simultaneously, and its console exclusivity is timed, not indefinite.
During the generation where the original Xbox was up against the PS2, GameCube, and Dreamcast, the PS2 was by far the leader in exclusive JRPGs, with games like Final Fantasy 10, Dragon Quest 8, and the Xenosaga trilogy. The Xbox had a unique selling point as the exclusive console home to some of the best Western RPGs of the generation, however. As WRPGs, unlike JRPGs, were typically developed primarily for PC, the PC-like architecture of the Xbox made ports much simpler. The Xbox hosted Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind and BioWare’s Jade Empire, as well as KOTOR and KOTOR 2. The KOTOR games and Morrowind were also released for PC, and Jade Empire later received a PC port, but none of these WRPG classics were available on other consoles.
The official homepage for Star Wars media’s hub for the KOTOR Remake describes Sony Interactive Entertainment as a “creative collaborator on the project.” This likely equates to Sony providing resources and possibly funding to aid in development of the remake in exchange for a period of console exclusivity for the game. Lucasfilm Games executive producer Orion Kellog described SIE as “helping all of us navigate this space and navigate their hardware with an inside track on the cutting edge,” which suggests SIE is aiding in optimizing the remake to take full advantage of the PS5 hardware. The practice of providing developers some aid and compensation for timed exclusivity has become more commonplace as of late, as seen in high profile titles like Final Fantasy 7 Remake. This explains how Sony was able to secure timed console exclusivity, but as for why it was selected, the history of the game provides a bit more context.
KOTOR Was Xbox Exclusive For Generations, But PS5 Needs WRPGs
There have been numerous Star Wars games over the decades since the release of A New Hope, but Knights of the Old Republic is one of the most well-regarded among them. It told an original story that was full of twists and surprises, memorable characters, and solid pause-and-play gameplay in the mold of BioWare’s prior PC RPG hits like Neverwinter Nights. This high point of Star Wars gaming has been available on the three subsequent generations of Xbox consoles thanks to backward compatibility, but it has never been playable on any PlayStation system. With the remake, for the first time, PlayStation will offer a version of a gaming classic that has been an Xbox console exclusive for four console generations. Given the influential nature of KOTOR, this is a significant get for Sony, giving PlayStation access to a version of a classic it has long been denied, and giving the console a talking point for Western RPG fans.
Though Final Fantasy 16 will have timed console exclusivity for PS5, ensuring the console’s merit as a host to JRPGs, Microsoft’s acquisition of Bethesda lines up Xbox to take the momentum on Western RPGs. Sony’s move to ensure timed console exclusivity for KOTOR Remake is certainly understandable. Though the original KOTOR, it seems, will remain an Xbox console exclusive, upscaled on newer Xbox Series X/S hardware, Aspyr has promised that they're “rebuilding it from the ground up” for the current generation. As fans await more details on the remake, there is the hope that it will allow a classic to shine with modern presentation, but also concern that it might not recapture what made the original great. PC and PS5 gamers will have a chance to find the answer when the game launches, but however the final product is received, it will mark an end to the multi-generational Xbox console exclusivity of Knights of the Old Republic.
Source: Starwars.com, Aspyr