Star Wars: KotOR III to be an MMORPG?

[GameBanshee News]

CVG is reporting that the latest issue of EGM has word that BioWare is working on a Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic MMORPG. They also go on to state that Dragon Age will hit the Playstation 3 and that a handheld Baldur's Gate game may be in development...

BioWare has formed a new online team to create a Star Wars: Knight of the Old Republic massively multiplayer online game, EGM reports.

No further details were reported in the rumour section of the US magazine but we've taped our fingers crossed. KOTOR is one of our favourite Star Wars games ever and the thoughts of an online MMO is, frankly, too much to take in.

The magazine also reports on a few other BioWare-related rumours. The current PC-exclusive Dragon Age is coming to PS3 and the DS currently in development at the mega-studio looks to be from the Baldur's Gate franchise. They're all rumours at the moment but we'll keep you updated with any announcements.

I realize these are just rumors, but the idea of the Knights of the Old Republic franchise migrating to an MMORPG has me very worried. I'm sure BioWare would do an excellent job with it, but I have little interest in paying a monthly fee to level grind in yet another Star Wars MMORPG. Give me another single player KotOR, please.

[Tricky]

How will that not be SW Galaxies dumbed down to fewer classes?

[BuckGB]

Personally, I feel that the gameplay in the first two KotORs was vastly superior to Star Wars Galaxies. If the rumor is true, I'm sure several more classes would be added or they may even alter the game to be entirely skill-based. I just don't think it would translate very well to an MMORPG. The first two KotORs were about the storyline, sense of adventure, and overall mystery to me - three qualities that MMORPGs aren't exactly known for.

[DesR85]

Kind of agree with Buck here. Given that there is an existing Star Wars MMO (Galaxies), it just makes me wonder why Bioware would want to create another Star Wars-related MMO. It might probably end up like a clone of Star Wars: Galaxies except with the locales looking different and the technology much inferior.

[Chanak]

As a former SWG player and enthusiast, I feel I can answer a few questions I see floating around here.

Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) loses the Star Wars Galaxies deal in 2008, if my understanding is correct. Based upon the history of that MMO, it should not be surprising that a sunset is in the making for it. In the winter of 2005, SWG lost a great deal of its player base as a number of changes were instituted into the game that were highly unpopular, and flew in the face of official promises to the player base from SOE itself. Since it would be beyond the scope of both this forum and thread to delve into details concerning that, I won't. Suffice it to say, it transformed into a radically different game. Also, SOE contradicted their own official communications with what took place. (it's also worth noting that many of the original SWG development staff left SOE prior to, or immediately following, the "New Galaxies Experience")

The player base never recovered. Subscriptions plummeted astronomically as players moved on to other MMOs, such as WoW, or Guild Wars.

Trends in gaming seem to indicate that MMOs are the shape of things to come...based on the popularity of MMOs like World of Warcraft and Guild Wars, for example. Therefore, it makes sense that LucasArts would want a stake in that future by placing the formidable KOTOR franchise in the fray. Such a move might have the following effects:

1. Massive initial subscriptions...KOTOR is a best-selling, proven franchise
2. A return - temporarily, at least - of thousands of disgruntled former SWG players drawn by the prospect of a new Star Wars-themed MMO. To put it bluntly, LucasArts wants them back.
3. BioWare has proven themselves in gaming. They create a consistently good product. No surprise there either. That would draw subscriptions itself, and I think LucasArts is aware of that as well.

[BuckGB]

Unless they're completely reinventing the concept of "MMORPG", there will be detrimental effects too. I'm sure there are plenty of hardcore KotOR fans who don't want to pay a subscription fee just to interact with 2000 other players named "Luk Skyrunner" and "Hann Sollo" buzzing around the galaxy. There's also the nightmare of having to deal with credit farmers destroying the game's economy and feeling obligated to play 5-6 hours a day just to stay competitive.

With that said, I'm sure they're looking at this from a purely business standpoint. I have no doubt it would be profitable, but it may not end up being the KotOR I want to play. Time will tell.

[Romans1133]

Darn right!
It's all business with these geeks. Capitaliation!
I would not pay a monthly fee either, nor would I wish to play 5 to 6 hours a day just to keep up with the geeks who live in mommas basement and play games all day.

Like most mature geeks ( this is me) I have a job and a life.
And for the love of God, let me build my own lightsaber and have a lightsaber that actualy cuts people down with one hit. I mean, what did they give us, Training lightsabers??!! I'm on to you Kotor Game developers!
Light someone here once said, I might as well be using frozen ewoks!

[paydayman-rs]

You know as a former/sometimer swg player I got to say....lol its about time!...Since the update on chewbacca's home (which was a year ago not really sure maybe two) its been going down hill....I mean everyone lvled from this one quest you could do over and over...anyway about the new game...I hope we can go on Taris again (even though it got destroyed) because I thought the begining of the first game was freakin awesome!I also hope that they put some of the second game items on the thrid one i mean come on....the first game robes look like crap....lol no offence bioware but obsidian kind of owns you in that department...welp i can't wait I been waiting a while for this lol hope its good!

[odoc346]

If you remember KOTOR 2 you could get your companions to become jedi's/sith's. well if KOTOR 3 is a MMORPG it is where you are at the academy that the exile and his team mates made at the end of KOTOR 2. You have to listen to Kreia at the end at Malachor to get all this info. she talks in riddels so its hard to under stand. but i am sure that if it is a MMORPG you will probly get to chose a side "Jedi/Sith" and have to start as a padawan in a jedi academy or a sith academy on Dantioone. The one the 3 Masters rebuild. Exile is head Master if you pick Jedi and Handmadien is his wife. The other companions are Jedi Masters on the council. Thats is what the MMORPG would be. Plus it is set 15years after the end of KOTOR 2. So if you where thinking they didnt have enought time to bulid a academy and all the other stuff. I know this cause i listen to all them rumors and put my thoughts in to come up with this.

[Derek_117]

Do you really think that George Lucas would give the ok for a mmo kotor bioware's still waiting for him to say ok for a normal kotor game.

[marten0305]

The KOTOR franchise is one of my all time favorite gaming franchises. So i am obligated to rant about this MMO deal that they are rumored to be pursuing.

Ok one thing i've noticed about MMO's is that they are not progressive, you could play through quests apon quests and you could create a new character and play the same exact quests. The K series have always had an indepth, progressive story as you play. That is just one thing MMO will take away from the K series.

The story is always important, the K series puts the player on an epic journey which will end up with the character being a either famous or infamous. They can't do that with several thousand players, what are we gonna have several thousand war heroes or several thousand Sith lords.

Well these are obviously just two of many reasons why Bioware shouldn't do this. Can't we get a petition or something and send it to Bioware. I know where there office is, i'm only a four hour drive away.

[Ungrimm]

Ok people... I just gotta say this, do you honestly beleive that just because BioWare made KOTOR, and they had great sucess with it, that any new Star Wars game they make is going to based on it, or an extension of it?? Come on, think! They may use aspects from KOTOR, but from some of the stuff I've read about this, it sounds more like they're going to start with the old SWG format and work from there.

"Bioware did indeed gain rights to develop a second version of SWG. It wont be called SWG2. Its not a completely new game but rather a reworking of existing code. Bioware is currently hiring a large team to work on the game and prefer experience with SWG. Pre-cu is a plus"

This is a paragraph taken from a write up I found-- http://www.karashur.net/mmorpg/2006/...and-bioware/--
If they start with existing code form the original SWG how are they going to get a KOTOR offshoot from it?? I realize this post is possibly a year or more old and alot can change in a year, but I for one am willing to give them the chance to try for something good.

[Loki[D.d.G]]

Originally Posted by DesR85

Kind of agree with Buck here. Given that there is an existing Star Wars MMO (Galaxies), it just makes me wonder why Bioware would want to create another Star Wars-related MMO. It might probably end up like a clone of Star Wars: Galaxies except with the locales looking different and the technology much inferior.

Then again, it is BioWare we are talking about here. Maybe, just maybe they can pull it off, given the right amount of effort.

[Wyran]

seariosly!we have been waiting for kotor 3 ever since kotor 2!comon i wouldnt
like to pay to get to know the continioning story!mmorpg kotor is a nono!

[Loki[D.d.G]]

Originally Posted by Wyran

seariosly!we have been waiting for kotor 3 ever since kotor 2!comon i wouldnt
like to pay to get to know the continioning story!mmorpg kotor is a nono!

Who knows, it might be like the Guild Wars style where you just purchase the original game and enjoy free online experience.