Thoughts on the Knights of the Old Republic MMORPG Confirmation

By Joe Haygood | July 23, 2008

So after many, many, many months of speculation and rumor, the cat was finally let out of the bag that Bioware was indeed working on a Knights of the Old Republic MMO.  Details had been all over the place about it but the announcment still does not give us anything concrete about the game itself, beyond the fact that the game is coming, and that it will most likely come to the PC and possibly the 360 and PS3.

First off, I love the Knights of the Old Republic games, feeling that they are the best Star Wars stories to come out in many years.  Solid gameplay mechanics and lots of jedi just add to the already great story.  So how will all of this translate to an MMO, when the story may take more of a backseat to level grinding?  No one really knows at this point.  So while I had tons of enthusiasm for the project when we recorded our podcast this weekend, I have now started to worry a bit about how one of my favorite franchises could be hurt by an MMO.

Bioware has made the action/RPG genre their own at this point, knowing how to combine story with the gameplay elements into a fine gaming experience.  From Baldur’s Gate all the way up to Mass Effect, Bioware has proven they have the chops to make great games, but an MMO is a whole different affair.  Look at a game like The Matrix Online, which could not have a better setup, as the whole idea of logging into a virtual world to play a game, fits perfectly into the actual Matrix storyline.  But when no one can be Neo, it starts to lose something in the translation.  Even the first Star Wars MMO, Star Wars Galaxies, had lots of hype, but as people started to play, they realized that it was not really Star Wars.  I can agree with this from first hand experience in both games, as the idea on paper never met the expectation that was in my brain.

One thing that could be successful for the KOTOR MMO is setting.  Their are two periods that could add a lot to the game while fleshing out the Old Republic timeframe of the Star Wars universe.  The first would be focusing on the fall of Darth Revan.  This would give gamers an insight as to how a great Sith Lord could fall from power to the point of being captured.  I for one have always been curious as to whether Revan’s fall was due to Malak’s intervention, or a way for Revan to escape the Dark side, as you never feel all that attached to it while you play the first KOTOR.  Another good scenario could show how the protagonist from the second KOTOR falling from the Force.  Some may disagree with this idea, but to be honest, Obsidian did not build a great story for the follow up, and that the story of the Exile seemed forced and contrived at times.  Fleshing out her backstory could make for a more compelling character, because as it stands, she seems to be more powerful than your character from the first KOTOR.  There could be other scenarios that might play out, but in my mind, these two points in time seem ripe with opportunity to expand the universe.

No one wants Bioware to fail in this endeavor, and fans around the world probably share my opinion, that the only people that can make a Star Wars themed MMO good, would be Bioware.  Their storytelling and gameplay with Knights of the Old Republic have shown the work they can do when they get the time to craft a well tuned game.  All eyes are on Bioware, and now the pressure begins.