GamePlay Unlimited

LucasArts and Bioware have finally officially announced a new MMO based on Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic at an event in San Francisco today. While it may have been one of the worst kept secrets of the year, a new game in the KOTOR universe is sure to make a lot of people happy (even if the MMO part does not). The official release states: "In Star Wars: The Old Republic, players will explore an age thousands of years before the rise of Darth Vader when war between the Old Republic and the Sith Empire divides the galaxy. Players can choose to play as Jedi, Sith, or a variety of other classic Star Wars roles, defining their personal story and determining their path down the light or dark side of the Force. Along the way, players will befriend courageous companions who will fight at their side or possibly betray them, based on the players’ actions. Players can also choose to team up with friends to battle enemies and overcome incredible challenges using dynamic Star Wars comb...

We will finally get a look at what the rumored Bioware/LucasArts game will be on October 21st. It has been rumored for some time that the pair were working on an MMO in the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic universe but nothing solid was presented. According to a postcard sent to Gamasutra , "The postcard, which proclaims "The wait is over" and promises "the official unveiling of the game that's been rumored about for years," makes no explicit reference to Star Wars. It is branded with the LucasArts and BioWare logos and depicts floating robots and hooded figures in futuristic interior locations reminiscent of the sci-fi franchise." KOTOR is one of the most popular series from last-gen and a new game would be sure to spark a ton of interest. Stay tuned on the 21st for the official release.

TransGaming has secured an agreement with Bioware to bring a special edition of Jade Empire to the Mac. The game is available now on TransGaming's digital distribution site GameTreeOnline via download. "Jade Empire Special Edition is set in an ancient and mysterious world where players can choose to act as a noble hero or treacherous villain by following the path of the ‘Open Palm’ or the ‘Closed Fist’. Players will face powerful human and supernatural foes, learn magical martial arts and weapons styles, and discover the darkest secrets of the world. Jade Empire Special Edition engages users with its rich story line and optimizes the gaming experience with graphical upgrades, enhanced resolution and exclusive content. Jade Empire™ has won numerous awards including Game of the Year, RPG of the Year, Best Story, Best Sound and Best Original Soundtrack ( http://jade.bioware.com/awards_reviews/ )." See the entire release after the jump. TransGaming Enables BioWare's Jade...

UPDATE: Joystiq got in contact with Bioware and cleared up these rumors: "Speaking to Joystiq, a BioWare representative deemed the information "incorrect," noting that Muzyka has "never confirmed any plans of Mass Effect exclusivity for the trilogy." So ... there is a trilogy, right?" So it looks as if this rumor has been debunked...for now. N4G picked up on a story in the latest issue of Australian 360 with a quote from Bioware CEO Ray Muzyka who states that Bioware has an obligation "to bring the Mass Effect trilogy exclusively to the Xbox 360." Muzyka goes on to say that "we said we were committed to supporting Mass Effect as a franchise and have the trilogy on the Xbox 360, and that's still our goal," and follows with "we're always very ambitious in our goals and the most important thing is quality, so we're never going to compromise that." So it appears to be set for now that the Mass Effect trilogy with Co...

UPDATE: Portfoli.com and Riccitiello have confirmed that it is indeed KOTOR and it is an MMO. The folks over at Portfolio.com dug up a bit of interesting information in an interview with John Riccitiello, chief executive at EA, this week during E3. Riccitiello stated that: "We've got two of the most compelling MMOs in the industry in development...And the one that people are dying for us to talk to them about -- in partnership with Lucas, coming out of BioWare, which is, I think, quite possibly the most anticipated game, full stop, for the industry at the point when we get closer to telling you about it." Well anyone with half a video game brain can put two and two together. LucasArts, the studio behind anything Star Wars, and BioWare , the studio behind the Knights of the Old Republic series coming together to create an MMO. What could it be? Fans of the KOTOR series have been yearning for a new game since the second ended and an MMO would bring the game back in style....