With Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic sporting quite a few similarities with BioWare’s seminal RPG Knights of the Old Republic, from its title to many of the developers working on it, developer Arcanaut Studios has continued to grow its team. Along with Knights of the Old Republic director Casey Hudson helming the new project, and Assassin’s Creed and Far Cry veteran Pascal Blanché coming on as the art director, the team also includes Ryan Hoyle as its CTO, and Caroline Livingstone as its production and performance director.
While Hoyle is known for his work at BioWare during the development of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic and the Mass Effect trilogy, Livingstone has an even longer resume. Her work includes several of the studio’s RPGs, like Neverwinter Nights and Dragon Age, along with her also having worked on the two sci-fi RPGs. Joining them is Melanie Faulknor as director of external developments, who has previously worked on Mass Effect 3, Dragon Age 2, and Dragon Age: Inquisition. According to Eurogamer, the newest addition to the team is now Den Fessenden as senior technical designer, who is an industry veteran that has also worked on the original Knights of the Old Republic.
The team being made up of so many former BioWare developers ties in with Lucasfilm Games VP and GM Douglas Reilly’s thoughts on the development of Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. Back in December, he spoke about the legacy of Knights of the Old Republic, saying that the new game will be “about honoring that legacy by creating something in the same tradition of a deep, cinematic, choice-driven role-playing game.” The team at Arcanaugt Studios is also made up of “people who helped shape that legacy.”
Hudson, who also happens to be CEO of Arcanaut Studios, spoke about why Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic won’t be carrying over the lore established by Knights of the Old Republic, noting that Disney’s acquisition of the IP led to the discarding of all preceding expanded universe media.
“When we developed the original KOTOR, we wanted to create a definitive Star Wars experience — crafting an adventure that consisted of all the things we dreamed of doing as Star Wars fans,” Hudson explained. “Now, 25 years after we started work on that game, our aspirations are equally ambitious. Fate of the Old Republic represents an opportunity to explore a contemporary vision of a definitive Star Wars experience, using state-of-the-art technology and game design, and an all-new story crafted specifically to deliver on the combination of player agency and immersion in Star Wars that was at the heart of KOTOR.”
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic was officially unveiled back in December 2025 with a CG trailer that showcased a female protagonist and a pair of companions. While Arcanaut Studios hasn’t yet announced a solid release date for the title, Hudson has said that it will be out before 2030. No platforms have been announced for the game yet, either, but it will likely come to PC and current-generation consoles.
It’s exciting to see a team with such a rich background in game development coming together for Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. The connection to classic titles like KOTOR and Mass Effect really raises expectations for storytelling and gameplay. Looking forward to seeing what they create!
Absolutely, it’s fascinating how the experience from KOTOR and Mass Effect can enhance the storytelling and gameplay in Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic. Their understanding of character development and immersive worlds could really elevate this new project. It’ll be interesting to see how they blend those elements into the Star Wars universe!
I completely agree! The rich narrative style from those games really sets a strong foundation for engaging storytelling. It’ll be interesting to see how they blend those elements with the Star Wars universe, especially regarding character development and moral choices.
Absolutely! The blend of character development and moral choices in those classics can create a deeply immersive experience. It’s exciting to see how the team will incorporate those elements into Fate of the Old Republic.
I completely agree! The intricate storytelling and character arcs in KOTOR and Mass Effect set a high bar. It’ll be interesting to see how the new team incorporates those elements into Fate of the Old Republic, especially with modern gaming technology enhancing the experience.