Apeiron, the popular mod of the classic video game Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, is reportedly shutting down at the request of Lucasfilm. The game’s official Twitter account shared the letter they allegedly received from Lucasfilm.
- Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic was released in 2003 and is one of the most popular Star Wars games ever made.
- Poem Studios began production on Apeiron in Unreal Engine 4 in 2015.
- The game’s official Twitter account has almost 24,000 followers.
- A similar situation occurred in 2016 when Electronic Arts shut down production of a fan project titled Galaxy In Turmoil, which was working off of the studios’ canceled Star Wars: Battlefront 3, according to Polygon.
What they’re saying:
- Lucasfilm’s letter to Poem Studios: “We have discover Poem Studios’ Apeiron game (“Apeiron”) and reviewed the related website, social media pages, and public statements regarding Poem Studios’ intent to develop a reboot of the Lucasfilm game Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR). Notwithstanding Poem Studios’ affection and enthusiasm for the Star Wars franchise and the original KOTOR game, we must object to any unlicensed use of Lucasfilm intellectual property.”
- Apeiron’s response to the letter on Twitter: “It’s with a great sadness that I’m posting today; I recently received a letter from Lucasfilm instructing Poem to end production on Apeiron. After a few days, I’ve exhausted my options to keep it afloat; we knew this day was a possibility. I’m sorry and may the force be with you”
- Patrick Soderlund, the senior executive overseeing EA’s development in 2016, on shutting down Galaxy in Turmoil: “When it comes to something as big and well-known as Star Wars, there are so many other parts that come into play. What is considered canon? What can you do within the brand? It becomes very complicated. On top of that, between Disney and EA is a substantial business deal where one partner has paid the other a lot of money to gain exclusivity. Without knowing details of exactly what happened, that’s kind of how I look at it in general.”