The reveal of a new Star Wars RPG at The Game Awards 2025 was a genuine showstopper, but excitement quickly gave way to caution. Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic exists, and that alone is reason to celebrate, especially as a spiritual successor to KOTOR. The problem is that all signs point to a painfully long wait.

The announcement captured exactly why people still love big game showcases. Even those tracking leaks were caught off guard by a project that openly positions itself as a successor to one of the most beloved entries in the Star Wars gaming canon. With Casey Hudson, director of the original Knights of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect trilogy, leading development, expectations instantly skyrocketed. Unfortunately, the surrounding context raises serious concerns.

Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is being developed by Arcanaut Studios, a Canadian team founded in July 2025. That means when the game was unveiled at The Game Awards, the studio itself was only five months old. In modern AAA development terms, that’s barely enough time to assemble a team, let alone build the foundations of a massive RPG.

This reality has fueled widespread speculation about a very distant release window. Industry insiders have suggested 2030 or later, and Jason Schreier summed it up bluntly on BlueSky. He called the announcement exciting, but reminded readers that Lucasfilm itself confirmed the studio was founded this year. In his words, 2030 would already be optimistic, joking that the game might even land on PlayStation 7. Behind the humor lies a simple truth: blockbuster development cycles now regularly stretch beyond five years.

For context, Ghost of Yotei took roughly that long to complete, despite being a more straightforward project built on an established foundation. By comparison, Fate of the Old Republic appears to be starting from scratch.

Casey Hudson has pushed back against the bleakest predictions, stating on X that the game will arrive sooner than rumored. That scenario, however, is hard to imagine unless development secretly began before Arcanaut was officially formed, or the project is based on a previously canceled concept. If the team truly delivers a high-quality Star Wars RPG in under five years, it would instantly become one of the most impressive feats in modern game development.

Announcements this early always divide audiences. On one hand, fans are relieved to know that a dream project is at least in the works. On the other hand, development has grown so complex that many high-profile titles never make it to release. A Wonder Woman game announced at The Game Awards 2021 was canceled in 2025, and Riot Games famously had to restart development on its League of Legends MMO.

Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic represents both promise and risk. The idea of a new KOTOR-style experience is thrilling, but realism suggests this journey through the galaxy is still a very long way off.

Source: 3djuegos