KOTOR is a PS5 exclusive.
Yesterday was a big deal for Star Wars fans, old and new. During last night’s PlayStation Showcase, Sony announced that the long-rumored Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic Remake (KOTOR) remake was real, and on the way.
Unfortunately, the remake of what has become the most beloved Star Wars game comes with a catch. According to Sony, it’s a ‘PS5 console exclusive’ at launch, which is a blow to Xbox gamers. It’s also not befitting of a huge franchise like Star Wars.
Console exclusives are an unfortunate fact of life, and they always have been. If you truly want to be able to play all the video games you want to play, you’re going to have to cough up for every system. Even if you’re primarily a PC gamer, there are always games that are locked away on a different system.
In many ways that’s understandable. Console makers want you to buy their console, because once you have it you’re going to go off and spend money on it. Whether that’s buying accessories, games, digital content, or whatever subscriptions are available. And one of the ways they draw gamers to their system is with exclusive titles.
If you want to play a Mario or Zelda game, you’re limited to Nintendo console. God of War and Spider-Man are PlayStation properties, while the likes of Halo and Gears of War are Xbox console exclusives.
Of course, that doesn’t mean I like it. I’d much rather be able to play every game on a single system, and on the same day as I would if I had bought something else. But there is a big difference between walling off a game made by a first-party developer, and negotiating a deal on one made by someone else.
