Mass Effect fans have long remarked on the similarities between the epic space franchise and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. The Bioware development team recently discussed how working on the LucasArts projects ultimately led to the creation of Commander Shepard and the video game saga they inhabit.

Speaking to TechRadar Mass Effect game director Casey Hudson explained that the team enjoyed creating KOTOR, but were unable to develop the sequel as the time constraints were too tight. He explained, "The sequel would have required us to turn the next game around much faster than we would have wanted. For us, that was a factor in what we wanted to do next. Our thought was, 'Why don't we have the same fun that we just had making this kind of game, but do it in our own IP, where we can design it from the ground up to be about interactive storytelling?'"

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What Bioware Took From KOTOR

Art director Derek Watts added that Bioware presidents Ray Muzyka and Greg Zeschuk wanted to focus on original IP that could compete with the likes of Star Wars and Star Trek. When it came to creating Mass Effect, the Bioware team initially looked at some of the elements that made KOTOR successful and enjoyable, including choices that affected the universe, though this was brought to a larger scale. Bioware co-founder Trent Oster noted in the interview that this all came at a time when major science-fiction franchises, including Star Wars and Star Trek, were not developing any major projects.

Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, released in 2003, possessed similar traits in that players were given the ability to completely customize their character and their path between the light and dark sides of the Force. The game saw a sequel, developed by Obsidian Entertainment, which was not impacted by player choices in the first game. A remake of Knights of the Old Republic is currently in development. However, it is unlikely to release before 2024.

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The Mass Effect Legacy

The first Mass Effect game was released in 2007 and placed players in the N7 armor of Commander Shepard, a character of their creation with a background of their choice. The game was set in the year 2148, when, as the first human Spectre, Shepard would uncover a plot concerning the rogue Spectre Saren Arterius, an army of synthetics and the coming invasion of the Reapers. The game allowed players to make a multitude of choices that would go on to impact the story and characters of the games that followed in the original Mass Effect trilogy.

The original Mass Effect trilogy was remastered and released in Mass Effect Legendary Edition. In addition, a new instalment in the Mass Effect saga is currently in the works, with what Hudson previously described as a "veteran team." The project was announced in December 2020 and does not currently have a release date.

Source: TechRadar