Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster Could Be On The Way
You can't just ask someone what the best Star Wars video game is because it's much like asking a GTA fan to pick their favourite entry - there are just too many good ones. While we hear a lot about Knights of the Old Republic II or Fallen Order being the best the galaxy far, far away, has to offer, there will always be those who champion Star Wars: Dark Forces.
Released way back in 1995, LucasArt's Dark Forces was a giant of the PC scene. Despite accusations it was little more than a DOOM clone, Dark Forces helped kickstart a whole franchise of Star Wars games and launched the popular Jedi Knights series. We might've not heard from Kyle Katarn for a while, but are you ready to see a whole new side to him in a Dark Forces remaster?
Will There Be A Star Wars: Dark Forces Remaster?
In the 27 years since Katarn first picked up a lightsaber, we're surprised Dark Forces has been resigned to the history books. Nightdive Studios is known for resurrecting forgotten classics, and now, the developer of the Quake and System Shock remakes is turning its attention to Dark Forces.
In 2019, Nightdive CEO Stephen Kick previously tweeted Disney about allowing the studio to handle a Dark Forces remake. More recently, he shared a tweet that featured 25 classic shooters from the '90s - cryptically saying that while Nightdive has already remastered four of them, a "few more" are on the way. There were a lot of cheers for Quake 2, with Dark Forces being a popular second choice.
You might be struggling to join the dots, however, Kick has also tweeted a picture of him completing Dark Forces on a 4:3 TV. With a few raised eyebrows, fans quickly took this to mean that Nightdive is tackling a remaster of the famous shooter. One fan cheered, "Please tell me there is a Dark Forces remaster coming!!" Another added, "Don't play us like this," while a third concluded, "Now that EA is out of the exclusive contract to publish Star Wars games, should it not be possible to get a go from Lucasfilm for a remaster?"
What's Next For Star Wars Games?
Now that EA has lost the exclusivity to the Star Wars games, it's arguably put the franchise in a better position. We already know Ubisoft is working on an open-world outing, while there are continued reports of either a Boba Fett or Mandalorian game. If that wasn't enough, we still have something from EA in the form of Jedi: Survivor. Remakes are also doing the rounds, and while Aspyr's Knights of the Old Republic remake has been put on hold, Dark Forces could fill that gap.
Kyle Karan is something of a legend in the video game scene - he even placed second place behind Lara Croft in GameSpot's ranking of the best video game characters of all time. We have shows like Andor being set around the time of Dark Forces, and with Disney bringing more and more characters into live-action, Karan could appear in one of the many Disney+ shows. Hopefully, Nightdive can give Dark Forces the justice it deserves.