Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderwas the first single-playerStar Warsgame in over a decade. To the surprise of some, it surpassed all sales expectations, and received almost universal praise for its mechanics and story.Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderwas soon followed up by a sequel,Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, which received praise for its customization options, story, characterization, and setting a darker tone for the series. A thirdStar Wars Jediis currently in development.
ThethirdStar Wars Jedihas been confirmed to be the conclusion of Cal’s story. Cal Kestis has become one of the most beloved Jedi amongStar Wars Jediplayers, and the conclusion to his story needs to stick the landing. Beyond Cal’s story, however, is the question ofStar Wars Jedi’s future. WithStar Wars Jedibeing one of the only successfulStar Warsgame franchises at the moment, and with no otherStar Warsaction games on the horizon, abandoning the franchise would be a massive blow for fans and for the IP.Star Wars Jedidoesn’t need Cal’s story to continue past the third game, and there are other ways of reimagining the franchise instead of ending it.
Star Wars Jedi Broke a Worrying Pattern
Star Wars Jediwas the firstStar Warsgame to be so positively received in a very long time. The 2010s saw a dearth ofStar Warsgames of all types, cancellations of promising games, and controversies such asStar Wars: Battlefront’s notorious loot boxes and locking characters like Darth Vader behind a paywall.Star Wars Jedibroke this pattern, and was received all the more positively for it.
Unfortunately, in the years sinceFallen Order’s release in 2019,Star Warsgames are still lagging behind the quality of other popular game franchises.Star Wars Outlawsreceived a lukewarm reception,LEGO Star Warsonly remains an adaptation of the movies, while theStar Wars: Knights of the Old Republicremakehas been passed from studio to studio and hasn’t released any updates in over a year. Despite these releases,Star Wars Jediremains the only contemporaryStar Warsgame that lets players focus on the role of a Jedi through fun gameplay, deep customization, and a compelling story with good characterization that adds to the lore of the franchise.
Star Wars Jedi Has the Potential to Continue
The ending of Cal’s story shouldn’t mark the end ofStar Wars Jedi. With an ambiguous title,Star Wars Jedicould instead follow another Jedi, and could even jump to another era to fully distinguish itself from Cal’s saga. AStar Wars Jedigame that follows on from the current franchise could instead be set during the Old Republic era, a period that hasn’t received much attention since Disney’s acquisition ofStar Wars. Instead of following an established character, it could tell the story of another new, original character, just like Cal. Alternatively, the game could take place after the fall of the Empire, and follow the story of a Force-sensitive individual who survived because of the Hidden Path, which would show the impact of the crew of the Stinger Mantis.
Capturing the Heart of Star Wars Jedi
Rather than abandoningStar Wars Jedi’s core identity, a follow-up game should retain thefeatures that madeStar Wars Jediso popular. To do so, it would need a likable protagonist, deep customization for lightsabers, different lightsaber stances, and satisfying Jedi combat.
With a world as big asStar Wars, which spans both a galaxy and a very long timeline,telling the story of a new Jedishouldn’t be difficult. This series' gameplay is dynamic, fun, and different enough to differentiate itself from other games, and to not use this to the advantage ofStar Warsgames would be a massive missed opportunity.
