Exact Answer: Approximately 300 years
The Star Wars universe has witnessed the addition of several notable elements to its ever-expanding repertoire of fan engagement, including video games. KOTOR and SWTOR are both parts of this fictional world. Both are RPG video games developed on the basis of comic book storylines.
While KOTOR is an abbreviation that stands for Knights of the Old Republic, SWTOR stands for Star Wars: The Old Republic. SWTOR was conceived and developed as a sequel to the KOTOR game. It is thus located much later in the Star Wars universe. Both these multiplayer games were developed for Windows, Xbox, iOS, and Android platforms.
How Long After KOTOR Is SWTOR?
Each of these video games has a specific storyline for the players to pursue. These in-game quests are specifically designed keeping in mind the timeline that is being addressed by the game. Thus, it is important to understand the chronology of these video games to cognize their in-story events.
In terms of their original market release dates, KOTOR was released as a part of the coveted fictional universe in 2003. However, SWTOR -as a sequel to KOTOR- came into the market much later.
SWTOR was released to the public as late as 2011. Both these games have since witnessed several updates, but it is prudent to take into account their initial market launch dates to understand their chronology. This means that there is a gap of almost 8 years between the two games.
Alternatively, in terms of locating the two games in the Star Wars fictional world, KOTOR is the predecessor to SWTOR. This implies that invariably KOTOR’s storyline is located way ahead of SWTOR. According to most gaming and Star Wars enthusiasts, SWTOR is located about 300 years after KOTOR.
This would imply that the events displayed in SWTOR and the quests designed for the players happen about 300 years after the Knights of the Old Republic events. The cinematics of SWTOR suggests that it is way into the future after KOTOR. While KOTOR happens shortly after the establishment of the Galactic Republic, SWTOR happens afterward, when tensions between the reemergence of the Sith and the Republic begin brewing.
In summary:
| Parameter of Comparison | Time Between KOTOR and SWTOR |
| Release Dates | 8 years |
| In-Story Arch | Approximately 300 years |
Why Is SWTOR So Long After KOTOR?
SWTOR was released almost after 8 years of the KOTOR video game because the creators of the game were working on ways to adapt the comics into a potent role-playing video game that could be enjoyed by the audience members. This took them about 8 years.
Moreover, the development of a game’s graphics, sound, quests, and side-quests takes quite some time. This is especially potent when curating a game like SWTOR that was designed to forward the coveted Star Wars legacy. Thus, the time taken by the creators to come up with the next installment of the game can be justified in this way.
Alternatively, the time gap of 300 years in SWTOR is explained in terms of how the game is set in the universe. It was designed to be a part of the breaking peace settlements between the Galactic Republic and the Sith Empire. Thus, it needed to be in the future to accommodate all the other events that had happened in the Star Wars Cinematic universe.
To reach this point in the storyline, SWTOR had to have taken place in the future. KOTOR was based on the establishment of the Galactic Republic. Therefore, there needed to be a certain period of time dedicated to the growth of the empire, the Jedi sagas, and the other elements of the universe before the creators could deal with the fallout between the reemerging Sith Empire and the Republic.
This time gap is succinctly presented to the players in the opening cinematics of the SWTOR video game. Any Star Wars enthusiast will be able to establish the chronology upon viewing these opening scenes closely.
Conclusion
Both KOTOR and SWTOR are multiplayer role-playing video games. They are extensions of the famous Star Wars universe. Fans of the games know that each is chronologically placed in the timeline given the nuances of the events in each. There can be two ways of distilling this timeline- vis-à-vis the reel and real-time periods of the two games.
According to the release dates of the two games, the time gap between the two games is that of 8 years. This is in terms of the time when the games were released to the public initially. However, in terms of the storyline, SWTOR is approximately 300 years after KOTOR.