2 Attachment(s)
Star Wars: KOTOR Characters Join Galaxy of Heroes for 15th Anniversary
To celebrate the 15th anniversary of the release of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KotOR), Capital Games is bringing fan-favorite characters from the original game to the new, equally popular mobile role-playing game Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. KotOR was first released for Xbox on July 15, 2003 and was set four thousand years before the formation of the Galactic Empire.
Upon its release, KotOR quickly gained popularity among fans as the first-ever role-playing video game that allowed players to create their own Jedi characters. In addition to creating new characters, players could construct a custom lightsaber and learn the ways of the Force. The initial production run of the game, roughly 250,000 copies, sold out within four days of release, making it Xbox’s fastest-selling title at the time. The game also garnered critical acclaim alongside its commercial success, with many people dubbing the assassin droid HK-47 one of the best original characters. Much like the world-altering reveal of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, the game’s major plot twist comes when the player’s character finds out that they’re actually one of the galaxy’s most fearsome Sith Lords.
In a recent interview with StarWars.com, Capital Games’ Senior Producer Carrie Gouskos and BioWare’s General Manager Casey Hudson and Art Director Derek Watts revealed how KotOR is being incorporated into Galaxy of Heroes. Starting on July 12th, Galaxy of Heroes began in-game “marquee events” where popular characters from KotOR were introduced. Key among these characters are Bastila Shan, Jolee Bindo, the Wookiee Zaalbar, and a Sith fighter used by Darth Malak. Players can undertake new missions with their favorite characters, as well as revisit familiar locations.
The KotOR additions come after vocal fan requests for stronger Jedi characters in Galaxy of Heroes. Bastila Shan, an immensely powerful young Force wielder and leader, and Jolee Bindo, a humorous self-exiled Jedi, directly address this area of concern. The influence of KotOR can be seen in more than just the gaming arena, as planets like Malachor and Taris and the Hammerhead corvette seen in Rogue One have crossed over into live-action movies and animated shows like Star Wars: The Clone Wars. In the interview, Gouskos also hints that more KotOR content could be coming to Galaxy of Heroes.
It’s difficult to imagine the current mobile game capturing the same level of shock and entertainment that was achieved in the original KotOR reveal, wherein the Sith Lord removes his or her mask to show the player’s own character, but there is no doubt more fun and nostalgia in-store for Galaxy of Heroes.
