With the remake, for the first time, PlayStation will offer a version of a gaming classic that has been an Xbox console exclusive for four console generations. This high point of Star Wars gaming has been available on the three subsequent generations of Xbox consoles thanks to backward compatibility, but it has never been playable on any PlayStation system. It told an original story that was full of twists and surprises, memorable characters, and solid pause-and-play gameplay in the mold of BioWare’s prior PC RPG hits like Neverwinter Nights. There have been numerous Star Wars games over the decades since the release of A New Hope, but Knights of the Old Republic is one of the most well-regarded among them. This explains how Sony was able to secure timed console exclusivity, but as for why it was selected, the history of the game provides a bit more context. The practice of providing developers some aid and compensation for timed exclusivity has become more commonplace as of late, as seen in high profile titles like Final Fantasy 7 Remake. Lucasfilm Games executive producer Orion Kellog described SIE as “ helping all of us navigate this space and navigate their hardware with an inside track on the cutting edge,” which suggests SIE is aiding in optimizing the remake to take full advantage of the PS5 hardware. The official homepage for Star Wars media’s hub for the KOTOR Remake describes Sony Interactive Entertainment as a “ creative collaborator on the project.” This likely equates to Sony providing resources and possibly funding to aid in development of the remake in exchange for a period of console exclusivity for the game. Related: What Star Wars: KOTOR Remake Could Learn From FF7 Remake's Story

The KOTOR games and Morrowind were also released for PC, and Jade Empire later received a PC port, but none of these WRPG classics were available on other consoles.

The Xbox hosted Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls: Morrowind and BioWare’s Jade Empire, as well as KOTOR and KOTOR 2. As WRPGs, unlike JRPGs, were typically developed primarily for PC, the PC-like architecture of the Xbox made ports much simpler. The Xbox had a unique selling point as the exclusive console home to some of the best Western RPGs of the generation, however. During the generation where the original Xbox was up against the PS2, GameCube, and Dreamcast, the PS2 was by far the leader in exclusive JRPGs, with games like Final Fantasy 10, Dragon Quest 8, and the Xenosaga trilogy.

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