STAR WARS: FATE OF THE OLD REPUBLIC Director Clarifies the Game Will Arrive Before 2030

There’s still a lot of excitement over The Game Awards reveal of Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, but it didn’t take long for excitement to turn into anxiety about how long the wait might be.

With a brand new studio behind the project, some players started bracing for a decade long development cycle. According to Casey Hudson, those fears are overblown.

Shortly after the reveal, questions around the release window gained traction online following comments from Bloomberg reporter Jason Schreier. As reported by Windows Central, Schreier raised concerns about how realistic an early launch could be given how recently Arcanaut Studios was formed. Writing on Bluesky on December 12, Schreier said:

“Last night’s biggest surprise was Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, led by Casey Hudson, who directed KotOR (and Anthem). Exciting news for lots of people… but Lucasfilm says the studio was founded this year, which means that 2030 is an optimistic guess. Maybe it’ll be a PlayStation 7 game.”

That post quickly made the rounds, especially among longtime RPG fans thrilled to see Hudson returning to a Knights of the Old Republic-style corner of the Star Wars universe. The idea that Fate of the Old Republic might still be many years away put a damper on the hype.

Hudson didn’t let that narrative linger. Later, he responded directly on X and made it clear fans shouldn’t expect to be waiting until the next console generation.

“Don’t worry about the ‘not till 2030’ rumors. Game will be out before then. I’m not getting any younger!”

While Hudson didn’t lock down a specific release year, his comment points toward a much tighter development timeline, likely somewhere in the four to five year range. That’s an ambitious target for a large scale Star Wars RPG, especially with Arcanaut Studios officially founded only this year, a detail Lucasfilm has confirmed.

There’s also important background worth noting. Hudson’s previous studio, Humanoid Origin, shut down in November 2024. His LinkedIn profile lists him as founder and CEO of Arcanaut Studios starting in July 2025.

Even though the studio itself is new, it’s very possible early planning or concept work on Fate of the Old Republic began well before the company was formally established.

For many fans, the exact release date matters less than what the game represents. Fate of the Old Republic puts Hudson back in familiar territory, working within an era and style that helped define Star Wars RPGs more than two decades ago.

Lucasfilm Games VP and GM Douglas Reilly previously said of the game, "The Old Republic era is a rich and beloved part of the Star Wars galaxy, and we are thrilled to be exploring a fresh story that we’ve never seen before in Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic."

Hudson added, "Working on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was one of the defining experiences of my career. With Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, we’re telling a completely new and different story with everything we’ve learned since crafting an adventure about choice, destiny, and the timeless struggle between light and dark. It’s a dream come true to once again collaborate with Lucasfilm Games."

For now, what’s clear is that Arcanaut Studios isn’t planning on keeping players waiting until 2030 or beyond. Hudson has drawn a line in the sand, and while the road ahead is still long, it sounds like the Force won’t be testing everyone’s patience for quite that long.