You might have heard that there is a title from the Star Wars saga that received a tremendous announcement along with an amazing cinematic trailer? For sure, I am talking about Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. Even so, murmurs of new speculation continue to come up that suggest the title may remain secret until… deep breath… the year 2030. Indeed, that number you have just seen is 2030. Six entire years from now, a whole new console generation away or possibly even two if one pays attention to some talk. It is completely impossible to make fans wait in a faraway galaxy for a myth of such great power.
The rumor has indeed risen to be one of the most discussed topics on social media, all it took was a cryptic tweet from HazzadorGamin that pointed to a video revealing the possible timeline. The response from the gaming community has been rather… mixed to say the least. A pretty big portion of the community seems to be really disappointed. One unfortunate comment coming from a player was: ‘Well that’s deflating news,’ and, to be honest, that is the mood. You grow all pumpkins for a new adventure in the middle of the Old Republic era, this is something that could be the potential remedy to the KOTOR-shaped void in your heart, and then you are told to possibly check again after five years or so. Quite a lot!
This is where things become messy, and honestly a little confusing, it is the rumor itself. The whole issue seems to have been based on very weak assumptions about the development cycles plus the fact the studio which is making the game, Humanoid Studios (which was set up by ex-BioWare legend Casey Hudson), is still very new in the game dev scene. I mean, a six-months-old baby? And besides, the game’s announcement consisted of nothing more than a CGI clip; it was a really great one though, according to some, but still, just a clip. No gameplay, no thorough details, just a mood. So the players are looking at that mixture and doing the math. New studio + early CGI teaser = a very, very long road ahead.
A comment like one from the player named Maxwell_005, really highlights this point. He pointed out the fact that the studio is so young and that the unveiling was only a teaser, and inferred with “2028 at best without bioware magic.” Another player, jayde1177, was more candid: “the game shouldn’t have even been announced, they would have barely even started production right now.” It’s that timeless debate we face quite often in our times: should games be announced so early? A large number of players are singing a firm no. “Why does ANYONE announce stuff before the last year of work?” vented wingedwolf. “Games should only be announced the year it comes out.” It is not easy to argue with that logic, for sure it leads to less disappointment and a tighter and more exciting hype cycle. But, you know, that is not how the industry works anymore, for better or worse.
Then there is the whole issue with console generations which is simply absurd. The rumor tweet initially mentioned something about PlayStation 7 which was just the perfect trigger for everyone to go wild. “PlayStation 7? What? PlayStation 6 hasn’t even been launched yet lol,” was the response from Kaine Richardson. Others were trying to make sense of it, with Positive Gaming suggesting that it was a typo but that having a PS6 release in the second half of that generation was quite reasonable. It is nothing but speculation but it still gives the impression of a project that is looking far into the future and not just the next holiday season.
Wait, don’t be so hasty! Before we all get comfortable with ‘Play Star Wars FOTOR’ in our planners for 2030, a reason has come in, and it’s a massive one too. Casey Hudson, the very person who is in charge of the whole project, has responded to the rumor. He did not mention the year 2030 but said “Don’t be concerned about the ‘not till 2030’ rumors. The game will be out before then. I’m not getting any younger!” That’s… comforting? It’s more like a very firm denial from the person who is definitely in a position of authority. He’s practically telling everyone to slow down on the doom-and-gloom timeline. Mystic Geek shared the same opinion and he advised players to “take what he says with a grain of salt. What matters is what LucasFilm and Casey Hudson say.”
Yet, skepticism is not hard to escape. Some players refer to Hudson’s recent past—mentioning Anthem and the troubles at his previous studio—and express doubts. “It’s vaporware. They will cancel it before then. He has already had two failures in a row,” said Landlock.
