Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic is being financed by an ex-NetEase executive, who is investing in games that "fulfill human emotional needs." With $100M in funding, the game is on track for the director’s promised Gen AI-free pre-2030 release.
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic Director Backed By Ex-NetEase Exec
$100M Funding and Pre-2030 Release
Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic (FOTOR) has secured $100M in funding from GreaterThan Group (GTG), founder and CEO Simon Zhu confirmed in a recent interview. The news is among the few official updates released about the upcoming game, which has been kept under wraps by developer Arcanaut Studios and publisher Lucasfilm Games since its announcement at The Game Awards in December 2025.
In an interview with IGN released on May 12, Zhu talked about GTG and the company’s involvement with FOTOR. Zhu stepped down in 2025 as NetEase’s President of Global Investments and Partnerships, then formed the US-based holding company GTG in 2026. He has always gravitated towards founder-led projects that "fulfill human emotional needs," according to him.
GTG intends to carve out a space for talented, undervalued developers to build something new in an industry that has recently been subjected to mass layoffs and constant project cancellations due to investor withdrawals, said Zhu. "Big tech walked away; the capital walked away. Now, they love AI investments."
According to him, commercial success does not have to come at the expense of art, and he would like to "give the best creator the opportunity to work on a dream project." "The industry treats developers so badly. I think there should always be a rebalancing force treating developers better."
True to their mission statement, GTG’s initial project lineup features games from revered creators. FOTOR is currently being developed by Arcanaut Studios under the leadership of Mass Effect director Casey Hudson, who has previously worked with NetEase. However, the partnership fell through when the Chinese tech giant pulled funding in 2024, causing Hudson to cancel an untitled sci-fi game.
FOTOR’s development proceeds unimpeded with GTG’s backing. There are no official reports about the game’s release date, but Hudson confirmed on his personal X (formerly Twitter) account in 2025 that it will be released before 2030. "Making games that take five or seven years — none of us want to do that," he told Bloomberg in an interview released on May 12.
Devs Will Not Use AI
Hudson confirmed to Bloomberg that Arcanaut Studios will not use generative AI in FOTOR. "I just find AI to be creatively soulless. It’s hard to imagine where it’s actually helpful in the process. I’m just really unimpressed with it."
Many major game companies, such as Ubisoft, Square Enix, and Electronic Arts, have drawn criticism for adopting gen AI into their processes. Even indie developers, such as the creator of Clair Obscur, Sandfall Interactive, faced backlash for using generative AI during development.
Concerns about the quality and ethical implications of generative AI use are growing among fans and creators, who equate the technology’s unauthorized training on copyrighted material with intellectual property theft.
A January 2026 survey of 2,300 developers conducted by the organizers of the Game Developers Conference (GDC) found that 36% worked for companies that use generative AI. However, 52% of those surveyed were convinced that it harms the industry, a 22-point rise from the previous year.
Fate of The Other Star Wars Games Is Uncertain, Except October 2026’s Galactic Racer
A full AAA remake of 2003’s Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic (KOTOR) was announced in 2021. In a March 2026 chat with IGN, publisher Saber Interactive (Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2, Jurassic Park: Survival) confirmed that it is still in development. The game has yet to receive an official release date.
Star Wars Eclipse, a High Republic-era narrative game by Quantic Dream (Detroit: Become Human, Heavy Rain), was similarly revealed in 2021 and has yet to receive a release date. The last official update for the game was a 2025 blog post on the studio’s website confirming that it is still in development.
The fate of other Star Wars video games remains uncertain, despite confirmations of ongoing developments. Many games for the franchise have been announced and canceled before, regardless of fan interest and development promises, including notable titles like Battlefront III, Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic 3, and Battle of the Sith Lords.
However, Electronic Arts’ turn-based tactics game, Star Wars Zero Company, reportedly picked up age ratings recently, and is speculated to reveal a release date at this year’s Summer Game Fest.
In the meantime, one Star Wars video game is officially set to release soon: Star Wars: Galactic Racer will launch for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store on October 6, 2026, and is currently available for pre-order on all digital storefronts.
For the time being, Hudson’s promise of a pre-2030 release and GTG’s financial support have put fans at ease about the future of FOTOR. Many on social media have expressed confidence that the game will be released.
FOTOR is not a direct sequel or continuation of KOTOR, according to Lucasfilm Games General Manager Lucas Reilly in a 2025 interview for StarWars.com. However, it has been confirmed that Hudson has hired many former developers from BioWare, the studio responsible for KOTOR. To stay up to date on the latest news about the game, check out our article below!
Sources:
NetEase Veteran Raises $100 Million, Backs Gaming Royalty for ‘Star-Wars’-Led Comeback
NetEase executive Simon Zhu steps down from role
GDC: More and more developers view generative AI as harmful to the gaming industry
