Casey Hudson just announced a new Star Wars RPG — but should you be excited?

Why this announcement actually matters – and why I’m cautiously hyped

This caught my attention because Casey Hudson isn’t just a name in the credits – he’s the director behind Knights of the Old Republic and the original Mass Effect trilogy. When Hudson walked onstage at The Game Awards to reveal Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, it felt like a promise to bring the old-school, choice-driven Star Wars RPG back to life. But promises are cheap in trailer season, and Arcanaut is a studio that only formed in July 2025, so excitement should come with a dose of skepticism.

• Early-stage, single-player narrative action RPG from Arcanaut and Lucasfilm.
• Positioned as a spiritual successor to KOTOR; you play a Force user where choices matter.
• Platforms: PC and “consoles” – no specifics. No release date, but Hudson says it’ll arrive before 2030.
• Arcanaut is brand new and led by Hudson after a failed studio; talent is recruited from big names (Microsoft, Epic, Remedy, etc.).

Breaking down the announcement

The reveal at The Game Awards was a mood trailer, not a gameplay demo — cinematic beats, a sense of scale, and a single line of tagline promise: a galaxy “on the brink of rebirth” where “every decision deepens” your path toward light or darkness. That language is intentionally echoing KOTOR’s moral weight. Arcanaut calls the project an “epic interactive adventure” and Hudson told StarWars.com it’s “an opportunity to explore a contemporary vision of a definitive Star Wars experience, using state-of-the-art technology and game design.”

Translation: they want player agency to feel meaningful, and they intend to use modern tech to sell immersion. But we haven’t seen combat, companion systems, dialogue trees, or how rigidly the game will adhere to the “light vs. dark” axis that defined KOTOR. That axis is a design choice that can either deliver deep roleplaying or reduce complex moral choices to meter-filling button pushes.

Hudson’s track record — reason for optimism, and cause for caution

Casey Hudson has real pedigree. He directed KOTOR and the first Mass Effect games — titles known for character-driven choice and consequences. That pedigree is exactly why fans reacted so strongly. But Hudson’s most recent studio, Humanoid Origin, shuttered in late 2024 without shipping a game. Arcanaut is brand-new, and while the team reportedly includes veterans from Microsoft, Epic, Remedy, The Coalition, and ZeniMax, new studios frequently face teething problems: funding, scope creep, and the crunch that follows big ambitions.

What this means for gamers

If Arcanaut pulls this off, Fate of the Old Republic could renew fans’ faith in single-player Star Wars experiences that treat choice as more than window dressing. A well-made spiritual successor to KOTOR could become the benchmark for narrative RPGs again. But “spiritual successor” is also a marketing phrase that can overpromise. The crucial questions: Will the game ship with depth in faction and companion systems? Will player choices create divergent, meaningful outcomes? And will Arcanaut avoid bloat and scope creep?

Practical concerns first: the title is slated for PC and unspecified consoles, there are no preorders, and Hudson has only said it will arrive before 2030 — which is both a promise and a hedge. Hudson wrote online, “Don’t worry about the ‘not till 2030’ rumors,” and added, “Game will be out before then. I’m not getting any younger!” It’s an earnest line, but not a schedule.

Industry context — more Star Wars games than ever

Disney and Lucasfilm are spreading Star Wars across multiple studios now — remakes, ambitious new IPs, and narrative experiments. Fate of the Old Republic joins a crowded slate that includes a KOTOR remake, Star Wars Eclipse, Zero Company, and projects from high-profile creators like Amy Hennig. That’s good: competition and variety mean more chances for a standout single-player experience. It’s also noise — Sony, Microsoft, and big publishers will keep attention fragmented until real gameplay shows up.

TL;DR — Should you care?

Yes, you should care — but don’t preorder optimism. Casey Hudson returning to Star Wars with a KOTOR-style, choice-driven RPG is one of the most intriguing things to happen to single-player RPG fans in years. It’s a high-risk, high-reward situation: Arcanaut’s talent and Hudson’s history are promising, but the studio’s youth, the vague timeline, and the lack of gameplay footage mean we should keep expectations measured. Watch the next showcase for combat, companions, and real examples of how choices change the galaxy.