More KOTOR III Possibilty News! (KOTOR MMO Confirmed?)

[Jae Onasi]

Well, I'm enjoying the anticipation and reading all the news bits posted here. Of course, I'd like it even better if there was a definitive announcement. I'm betting Kookaburra will get the scoop on any official news, too, with her quick research.

[JediMaster12]

I sure too would like an official announcement but I've resigned myself to just reding tidbits here and there posted on this forum.

[kookaburra]

Hi


I did some more digging and I found this, its a few weeks old but it keep you reading until hopefully something else offical comes up.

Of course take this as another speculation.

Silence doesn't always mean inaction. LucasArts is reportedly working quietly on two big name sequels expected late 2006 or early 2007. No major announcements have been made, but IGN has done some digging and turned up some info.




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IGN has learned that LucasArts recent silence does not mean inactivity. Infact IGN revealed that LucasArts is infact working on a sequel to the surprise hit Mercenaries for Xbox 360 and PS3.

Also quietly in development is KOTOR 3, with the team at Obsedian still behind the game early news is that players can expect better interaction between NPCs and the main character, also IGN said to expect the fighting system to be completely real time. What is not known at the time is which platform KOTOR 3 will land on, one can hope that Obsedian would make the next gen jump.

We'll bring you more information on Mercenaries 2 and KOTOR 3 as it becomes available.

linkie:

http://www.xboxcircle.com/portal/content/view/953/1/

[Prime]

It would be nice to know what they mean by realtime...

[Cygnus Q'ol]

You can bet your bottom credit that 360 gets the nod.

Kookaburra, you are awesome!!!!!!

[Hallucination]

Originally Posted by Article

Also quietly in development is KOTOR 3, with the team at Obsedian still behind the game early news is that players can expect better interaction between NPCs and the main character....

Is this a repeat of the 'mamoth' thing?

Once again, this is just commenting on the article Kookaburra found, so I'll keep on waiting for an official announcement.

[SpartanM]

Have a look at this!

http://www.lucasarts.com/jobs/

Mabye for Kotor 3! Let's hope so!

[Prime]

Unlikely, since K3 would most likely be done by a third party developer, not Lucasarts themselves...

[Cygnus Q'ol]

Originally Posted by Prime

It would be nice to know what they mean by realtime...

It will more than likely be similar in playability to Jade Empire.
That is one interesting RPG with great graphical content, cut scenes and realtime fighting. I hate to say it, but I really did enjoy playing that one.

That game proves it can work. As much as I enjoy the turn based battling and contemplative strategy, I just have a feeling they're going to move in this direction.

Before, I've stated that KotOR should stay turned based, but, since my foray into Ancient China...

[kookaburra]

UPDATED! 27TH FEB 2006


Greetings


Well, guess what? I found more Kotor III rumor news on the LucasArts Forums (YAY about time) Look at this:

The third chapter in LucasArts' RPG exploration of the Star Wars legacy.

NOTE: This game has not yet been announced or officially confirmed by the publisher. Exact plans for which platforms this title might release on are also unconfimed at this time. Unofficially, the game is expected to be one of three next-gen projects in the works at developer Obsidian Entertainment.

Linkie:


http://xbox360.ign.com/objects/793/793795.html



Enjoy

[Char Ell]

*** crosses fingers ***

Here is hoping this year's E3 in May gives us something more substantive about KotOR III.

[kookaburra]

Greetings

Chris Avellone has kindly agreed to answer a few questions and draw a few pictures for people with reading comprehension issues. Chris even decided to turn the interview into a real dialogue, and he was going to comment on my comments - "Oh no way, I'd love to answer these, buckle up. ", but Lucas Arts' people called and said that they want KOTOR 3 out by Christmas, so he had to get back to work.

does this say any thing about KoTOR III???? I thought this post was rather interesting. Enjoy your read any way.


linkie:

http://www.rpgcodex.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=11533

[Ztalker]

Chris Avellone has kindly agreed to answer a few questions and draw a few pictures for people with reading comprehension issues. Chris even decided to turn the interview into a real dialogue, and he was going to comment on my comments - "Oh no way, I'd love to answer these, buckle up. ", but Lucas Arts' people called and said that they want KOTOR 3 out by Christmas, so he had to get back to work.

Hmmm.
Do you think they are aiming for a Christmas-surprise release, and they just didn't anounce it yet because they didn't want to put pressure on the developer like they did with Kotor2?
If so, this will be a very, very cool Q4...Spore, UT2007, Kotor 3...
*saves money*

[Char Ell]

Originally Posted by kookaburra

does this say any thing about KoTOR III???? I thought this post was rather interesting.

IMO, no. I think they're just joking around. Remember how the TSL release got pushed up 2 months from February to December? If Obsidian didn't have any time to waste to make TSL's original release date they most certainly had even less when the release date got pushed up or in other words no time for interviews. So yeah, I think the guys at RPG Codex just made snide commentary about TSL's release date using KotOR 3 and at LucasArts expense. Just my interpretation though.

[Achilles]

I agree that it was probably a joke, but I'll be very surprised if we don't hear a legitimate x-mas 2006 release date for K3 at E3.

1) I believe that OE completed at least a portion of the story of K3 while developing K2. One of the possible causes for some of the cut content would be inconsistencies with a third installment. Also, the story had quite a bit of blatant foreshadowing. Can't foreshadown when you don't know what's going to happen later.

2) I suspect that OE got further with the engine tweaks than we know. Of course, they had to back out of some of them due to time contstraints.

3) the timeline just makes sense. KotOR came out for xmas 2003. K2 came out for xmas 2004. Not wanting to rush things for what will probably be the third and final installment, they've decided to take their time and plan for xmas 2006. Releasing it any sooner or any later will cut into that golden window that is the american xmas holiday.

[Mister Chief]

Obsidian is taking a page from bungie, and won't announce it yet in order to reduce pressure. I would bet it is at least 50% done by the time they announce it.

[Char Ell]

I don't know if anybody else has posted this before but this article posted March 8 on GameDaily.com speculates that Obsidian is making KotOR III for the XBOX 360. Hmmm, the rumors that Obsidian is developing K3 seem fairly persistent.

***DISCLAIMER: The below information may contain forward-looking statements, wild speculation, juicy gossip, rumor, innuendo, or rampant guessing. These statements are not guarantees of future performance and involve certain risks and uncertainties, which are difficult to predict, although they sure do sound good***

LINK:
http://www.gamedaily.com/features/?id=922

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic III

One of the most successful Star Wars games of all time is heading to the next generation courtesy of Obsidian. The third installment of the series will expand on the somewhat lackluster second title and once again be exclusive to Microsoft. We've heard that Bioware has had very little involvement with the third title, but Obsidian has been clearly instructed to take their time and pump out a game that rivals the original in quality.

We don't expect Knights III to make an appearance at E3 2006, but the holiday season should bring around news on the next generation title. Expect it to pick up many years after Knights II with an entirely new cast of characters and even more force powers. Shifting your character between light and dark will also have a much more significant impact on the game.

[Darth InSidious]

Originally Posted by Achilles

Can't foreshadown when you don't know what's going

As someone who has written a fair bit, I must say that oh yes you can. Lucas didn't know exactly what would happen in Ep VI, but Ep V is basically a build-up toward RotJ, IMHO


On everything else you are spot on as usual

[kookaburra]

Exellent find Hai Wan, brilliant!

[Prime]

Expect it to pick up many years after Knights II with an entirely new cast of characters and even more force powers.

Others will disagree with me, but I think that is best.

And since I am always right, that should end that debate right there.

[Char Ell]

^^^
If I may be the first to voice my disagreement.

I'm OK with an entirely new cast of characters with a story set many years after TSL but I want closure to the Revan/Exile/True Sith/Force Wound story that has been spun thus far. This doesn't mean I want all answers but enough to get at least some satisfaction from knowing the fate of Revan and the Exile to a large degree as well as what is going on with the "True Sith." Answers to the questions:
Why did Revan head off on his own to the Unknown Regions?
Why did the Exile decide to head off in search of Revan?
Do the "True Sith" still exist?
etc.

[Achilles]

Originally Posted by Prime

Others will disagree with me, but I think that is best.

And since I am always right, that should end that debate right there.

I wholehearted agree that we need a whole new cast of (non-droid) characters.

As for the force powers, I'm not sure how much more they can do. There are force powers created for TSL that I've never used. Not sure if adding more is really going to make things better. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the current powers rebalanced.

[†Saint_Killa†]

Originally Posted by Achilles

I wholehearted agree that we need a whole new cast of (non-droid) characters.

Definitely!!! HK and T3 are link to Revan and to what he found out about the sith. But i'd prefer cameos from older NPC's.

Originally Posted by Achilles

As for the force powers, I'm not sure how much more they can do. There are force powers created for TSL that I've never used. Not sure if adding more is really going to make things better. I wouldn't mind seeing some of the current powers rebalanced.

I agree with that too not all powers are used. Maybe add one force levitate where you can levitate things and throw at enemies just like any Jedi would do.

[Prime]

I don't mind droid characters, particularly T3 and HK. I wouldn't mind them being back, or something similar.

I totally agree with the Force powers. There are too many, and several don't really reflect what we see in the films. I would rather that there be fewer powers, but those powers would have more application. For example, a power something like "move object" could be used to pick things up, flick a switch, or push. And perhaps there could be more than three levels for each.

[Mister Chief]

possibly some bad news on the way.
DONT READ IF YOUR HOPES ARE EASILY CRUSHED
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On Obsidian's home page, they recently announced a partnership with SEGA to produce an origional next gen RPG. This means that either Obsidian is going to finish Neverwinter nights 2, while still working on KOTOR 3 AND start on this new project, (which is unlikely unless this is what they are hiring for, due to the small size of the company), or They are not going to be producing KOTOR 3.

FOR ALL YOU LAZY FOLKS, here is the announcement:
Deal Marks Another Milestone in Publisher's Western Growth Strategy

SAN FRANCISCO & LONDON (March 23, 2006) - SEGA® of America, Inc. and SEGA® Europe, Ltd. today announced a new partnership with Obsidian Entertainment, Inc., an entertainment software development studio based in Orange County, CA. Under the terms of the worldwide deal, SEGA and Obsidian will collaboratively develop an original role playing game (RPG) for PC, PlayStation®3 (PS3) and the Xbox 360™.

The deal signifies SEGA's continuing drive to produce high-quality Western content for current and next-generation consoles. Obsidian, best known for the hugely popular RPG Knights of the Old Republic™ 2: The Sith Lords, is also currently working on the much-anticipated sequel to Neverwinter Nights™.

"The development team at Obsidian has 'proven track record' stamped all over it," said Simon Jeffery, President and COO, SEGA of America, Inc. "When SEGA decided to create a fresh and captivating RPG franchise for new generations of hardware, we immediately knew who we wanted to work with."

"We are excited to be working with a great publisher like SEGA as they are willing and excited to launch new and visionary IP on next generation consoles," said Feargus Urquhart, CEO of Obsidian Entertainment, Inc. "At Obsidian, our focus is to make exceptional games and we see SEGA as a true partner in achieving that goal for our next epic RPG."

The deal is the latest in a string of similar announcements from SEGA that underscore the company's increased emphasis on Western content development. Previously, SEGA announced partnerships with developers Secret Level, Silicon Knights, Bizarre Creations, Monolith Productions (Condemned: Criminal Origins™), and Pseudo Interactive (Full Auto™). SEGA also acquired development powerhouse The Creative Assembly (Total War series) in 2005.

LINKIE

Who knows, maybe Obsidian can pull it off, but I don't think so.

[Hallucination]

^I think Obsidian is working on something called Project New Jersey, so that makes it even more unlikely.....

[Char Ell]

Very interesting. Nice find, Mister Chief.

So what do we know then? Obsidian is developing Neverwinter Nights 2 and now they're going to be developing a new RP IP for Sega.

I don't know enough about video game development to know what can be inferred from the fact that Obsidian has two announced games they're working on now. What I do know is that Mr. Urquhart stated in an interview that he doesn't want Obsidian to grow into a big studio development house. If he holds to that then I think it unlikely Obsidian would be developing a third title at the same time as the other two. If the $ signs are looming large on his eyeballs though he may very well decide to expand Obsidian so they can take on simultaneous development of three titles.

[†Saint_Killa†]

Very unlikely though. Never heard of SEGA taking interests on making star wars games.

[Char Ell]

Originally Posted by †Saint_Killa†

Very unlikely though. Never heard of SEGA taking interests on making star wars games.

Who said anything about Sega making Star Wars games?

[dowon]

Obsidian's CEO said... (http://pc.ign.com/articles/684/684902p1.html)

Obsidian's currently staffing up. Feargus hopes to have over 100 people by the end of the year with an eventual goal of having around 120 to 140 people. That will allow them to have teams working on three different games. Ideally, one team will be working on the core concepts of a game while the other two will be in full production mode. Obsidian has also started a technology group that's working on a next generation engine that will be ready in 2007.

Obsidian Entertainment has 3 projects now.
- Neverwinter Nights 2 (Project Pennsylvania) in full production mode
- Project New Jersey: a new IP with an unannounced publisher, a next-gen console action RPG based on Unreal engine 3, in full production mode
- Project Georgia: a new IP with a publisher SEGA, in pre-production mode (working on core concepts)

btw, KotOR2's codename was 'Project Delaware'.



and LucasArts' E3 2006 plan (http://www.firingsquad.com/news/news...?searchid=9543)

New Indiana Jones Game To Be Shown At E3

LucasArts has sent out invites to press folks to show up at their E3 booth in May to try out their upcoming new games. One of the titles that they will show is their all new next-gen console Indiana Jones title which was first announced back in E3 2005 and will finally be shown for the first time in public at this year's expo. The press note also says that in addition to the Indy game and Lego Star Wars II, LucasArts will also be showing off "many other surprises that we'll unveil in the weeks leading up to E3"

[marvidchano]

Originally Posted by kookaburra

NEWS ALERT!!

ANOTHER KOTOR RUMOUR/HOPE LURKING ON IGN

POSTED 26th September 2005 (AEST)
(Snipped for space saving)

that sounds like very good, true proof IF IT IS THEN HOORAA! AT LAST!

[Buzz1978]

Originally Posted by Mister Chief

On Obsidian's home page, they recently announced a partnership with SEGA to produce an origional next gen RPG. This means that either Obsidian is going to finish Neverwinter nights 2, while still working on KOTOR 3 AND start on this new project, (which is unlikely unless this is what they are hiring for, due to the small size of the company), or They are not going to be producing KOTOR 3.

Who can seriously believe that they are already working on Kotor3 anyway? Have a look at this article from february 18th:

http://pc.ign.com/articles/684/684902p1.html

It's stated out by OE's CEO that they hire people to become able to develop three games in parallel by the end of 2006. That means that by now they're capable to work on two games at a time and we already know that none of them is Kotor3. One is NWN2 and the other is OE's own thing and no franchise.

Yet still Obsidian is the logical choice to make Kotor3 and the graphics engine of NWN2 is the logical choice for Kotor3 (remember NWN, K1 and K2 share the same roleplaying engine and pretty much the same graphics engine). Let's have a look at NWN2: They got the renderer running for some time - the engine as whole should be done except minor detail work, it seems they got the creature modelling done so it is likely that they got the (N)PCs too, the screenshots on the official site show finished maps and it can't be long until they show the first trailers... I assume NWN2 is going to be published in the late 3rd or early 4th quarter 2006 and that's the time they can actually begin to work seriously on Kotor3 and/or the title they develop for SEGA.

[DarkLord152]

Originally Posted by RedHawke

Unfortunately most of us who were here for the K2 rumors and stuff have heard things like this before...

I'll belive it when LA announces it and puts that up on their site.

Same with me.

[Char Ell]

Originally Posted by dowon

Obsidian Entertainment has 3 projects now.
- Neverwinter Nights 2(Project Pennsylvania) in full production mode
- Project New Jersey: a new IP with an unannounced publisher, a next-gen console action RPG based on Unreal engine 3, in full production mode
- Project Georgia: a new IP with a publisher SEGA, in pre-production mode(working on core concepts)

Well, I guess that pretty much covers what Feargus Urquhart said he wanted Obsidian to do. Two games in full production and one in pre-production. Doesn't sound like any of these games are the next KotOR.

Hey, dowon. What's your source for Obsidian Entertainment's project names and info that you listed?

Originally Posted by Buzz1978

Yet still Obsidian is the logical choice to make Kotor3 and the graphics engine of NWN2 is the logical choice for Kotor3 (remember NWN, K1 and K2 share the same roleplaying engine and pretty much the same graphics engine). Let's have a look at NWN2: They got the renderer running for some time - the engine as whole should be done except minor detail work, it seems they got the creature modelling done so it is likely that they got the (N)PCs too, the screenshots on the official site show finished maps and it can't be long until they show the first trailers... I assume NWN2 is going to be published in the late 3rd or early 4th quarter 2006 and that's the time they can actually begin to work seriously on Kotor3 and/or the title they develop for SEGA.

If this is true then I wouldn't expect KotOR 3 to be released until sometime in 2008. I just have a hard time believing that LucasArts would wait that long. IMO if LA doesn't get KotOR 3 out by end of 2007 then they're really messed up in the collective head. Of course I'll probably still buy the next KotOR even if it does debut in 2008...

I still want to find out what Project New Jersey is before I will completely rule out it's potential to be the next KotOR. I know. Word on the street is that PNJ is an original IP title but there is always the potential for misinformation, a.k.a. propaganda.

[dowon]

About project new jersey...
http://forums.obsidianent.com/index....0&#entry319780

Originally Posted by John Morgan, Assistant Producer, Obsidian Entertainment

True and true.

About project georgia...
http://forums.obsidianent.com/index....c=40776&st=63#

Ok, MYSTERY solved thanks to Feargus [Urquhart]:

Q: Is the Sega game PNJ?

FU: Actually - just to be confusing. this one is PG (PG=Project Georgia). So, as stated in the IGN interview, PNJ & PG are likely console oriented. NWN2/PP is the PC team

and obsidian's games at wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obsidian_Entertainment

Obsidian Entertainment code-names its projects after a list of U.S. states by date of statehood.

Project Delaware - Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II: The Sith Lords (KotOR II), released in 2004 for Xbox and in 2005 for PC, is Obsidian's first production.

Project Pennsylvania - Neverwinter Nights 2 is currently in development.
Both are sequels to products originally engineered by BioWare.

There is also a game to be announced, codenamed "Project New Jersey", confirmed by Obsidian employee John Morgan not to be a sequel. Also by words of Urquhart, the company hopes to be around 115 employees by the end of 2006, forming in 2 and a half teams, who will be working on three projects simultaneously. Knights of the Old Republic III is also in the plans of the company, should LucasArts desire it in the future.

On March 23, 2006, Obsidian and Sega announced that they will co-develop a role-playing game (codename: "Project Georgia") based on a new intellectual property. It is currently slated for release on the PC, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360.

[kookaburra]

This is rediculous, I mean now that OE has three projects up their sleeves they're probably going to have their hand full for a very long time. Why the heck didn't they choose to do Kotor III? they know that a lot of people want it, is it LA's fault? dam it! very frustrating. Well guys OE has their hands full for probably the next three years. Games take like a year each to make? I'm probably wrong but I think OE will be too busy to make Kotor III.Dam only if I was the boss of OE I would've chose Kotor III over some other s***y games.Well guys lets continue too enjoy the loooooooooooooong wait.

[Char Ell]

@ dowon - Thanks for providing such detailed sources!

That seems to pretty much squash the possibility of KotOR 3 being in any form of current development at Obsidian Entertainment. Oh well.

So I see current possibilities as:
1) LucasArts has commissioned another developer for the next KotOR but hasn't announced it yet.
2) LucasArts hasn't commissioned a developer for the next KotOR.
3) LucasArts plans to develop the next KotOR in-house.
4) Obsidian Entertainment is developing the next KotOR but isn't saying that they are.

Hmmm... That really narrows it down, doesn't it? [/sarcasm]

[Devilsfanatic]

Long time no talk, so I figure I'll throw my hat into the fire....we'll hear about Kotor 3 by Christmas, and it'll be out next Summer.

[Buzz1978]

Originally Posted by kookaburra

Why the heck didn't they choose to do Kotor III?

Because it's not their choice. They said they would like to do it but it was always clear that NWN2 would come first.

Originally Posted by kookaburra

Well guys OE has their hands full for probably the next three years.

Why? I believe NWN2 is getting into the final state of production soon and project NJ is in full production for some time now and maybe they show it at the E3. If they do it will likely be published before xmas or in the late 1st quarter 2007. I think it's not a tough prediction to say that both games that are in full production now will be published within one year and probably earlier.

Originally Posted by Devilsfanatic

Long time no talk, so I figure I'll throw my hat into the fire....we'll hear about Kotor 3 by Christmas, and it'll be out next Summer.

While I would appreciate that, my guess is more coservative: We'll hear about a new project for LA around september/october 2006, hear that it is in fact Kotor3 in 12 months from now and get it in the 4th quarter 2007.

[emperorz0]

Obsidian Entertainment said that they arent working with Kotor 3 now (because of other projects) and Bioware might do it after Mass Effect.