Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic remake is on pause

gamedeveloper.com:

Bloomberg News' Jason Schreier is reporting that Texas-area game studio Aspyr has put its remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic "on pause" and fired two department heads. According to Schreier's report, this followed the completion of a vertical slice of the final game that did not meet expectations.

Aspyr's version of Knights of the Old Republic (often shortened to KOTOR) was announced in 2021 as a ground-up remake of BioWare's 2003 role-playing game. The game debuted at a PlayStation Showcase event with the indication that it would be a console exclusive title on PlayStation 5. It had been in the works for the last three years, and was intended to launch in late 2022.

Schreier's sources told him that a "realistic target" for the game as of this date would be a release in 2025.

This title would have been Aspyr's first original game project. Though the game is a "remake" of KOTOR, it was set to feature a new combat system, new graphics, and new writing. It's comparable to Capcom's recent remakes of Resident Evil 2 and 3.

The company has spent its lifespan providing development support to studios like Gearbox Entertainment, and most recently it developed a reputation for porting older games to new platforms like PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and mobile devices.

According to Schreier, Aspyr's developers completed a vertical slice of KOTOR in late June, and the team was apparently "excited" about the project. One week later, Aspyr reportedly fired design director Brad Prince and art director Jason Minor. 

In July, Aspyr studio heads met with employees in small groups to inform them of the delay, and said the company would begin looking for new contracts and development opportunities.  

Aspyr's KOTOR remake is the second