Aspyr Media announced a remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic in 2021. However, the games have since faced delays and a studio change, with Saber Interactive taking over in 2022. Now, Sony cites expired music licenses to explain the recent delisting of the game’s trailer and removal of social media posts.
The KOTOR Remake’s trailer has expired music licenses
Fans noticed that PlayStation delisted the KOTOR Remake’s trailer a few days ago. PlayStation’s Twitter account also deleted the game’s 2021 announcement Tweet. This created speculation that Aspyr and Saber’s parent company, Embracer Group, may have canceled the Remake due to its ongoing reorganization. Axios gaming contributor Stephen Totilo initially reached out to Star Wars owner Disney for answers. Disney redirected him to Sony, who said, “As part of normal business, we delist assets with licensed music when the licenses expire.”
However, this answer raises questions of its own. As Totilo points out, it is strange for the trailer of an upcoming game to have expired music. PlayStation’s YouTube channel also still has trailers up for other, much older Star Wars games. It’s impossible to say whether Sony is telling the truth, though something strange seems to be happening behind the scenes.
The KOTOR Remake was initially supposed to come out last year. However, Aspyr put the project on indefinite hold after its demo failed to meet expectations. The Studio also fired the Remake’s art and design directors. Saber reportedly took over in 2022, though the game likely won’t come out until 2025 or later. However, the strange situation with its music could be a bad sign for the Star Wars game’s future.