Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (often abbreviated KOTOR or KotOR) is a role-playing video game developed by BioWare and published by LucasArts. The first installment of the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic series, it was released for the Xbox on July 16, 2003, and for Microsoft Windows on November 19, 2003. It was ported to Mac OS X, iOS, and Android by Aspyr, and it is playable on the Xbox 360, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X and Series S via backward compatibility. A Nintendo Switch version was released on November 11, 2021.
The story takes place almost 4,000 years before the formation of the Galactic Empire, where Darth Malak, a Dark Lord of the Sith, has unleashed a Sith armada against the Galactic Republic. The player character, as a Jedi, must venture to different planets in the galaxy to defeat Malak. Players choose from three character classes (Scout, Soldier, or Scoundrel) and customize their characters at the beginning of the game, and engage in round-based combat against enemies. Through interacting with other characters and making plot decisions, players earn Light Side and Dark Side Points, which determine whether their character aligns with the light or dark side of the Force; these choices affect which abilities are available to the character.
Knights of the Old Republic was directed by Casey Hudson, designed by James Ohlen, and written by Drew Karpyshyn. LucasArts proposed a game tied to the film Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, or a game set thousands of years before the prequels. The team chose the latter as they thought that they would have more creative freedom. Ed Asner, Ethan Phillips, and Jennifer Hale voiced the characters, while Jeremy Soule composed the soundtrack. Announced in 2000, the game was delayed several times before its release.
Knights of the Old Republic received critical acclaim for its characters, story, and sound. It was nominated for numerous awards and is often cited as one of the greatest video games ever made. A sequel, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II - The Sith Lords, developed by Obsidian Entertainment at BioWare's suggestion, was released in 2004. The series' story continued with the 2011 release of Star Wars: The Old Republic, a massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed by BioWare. In September 2021, a remake was announced to be in development by Aspyr for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 5; Aspyr would later be replaced by Saber Interactive in August 2022.
