Video games set ‘a long, long time ago’ seem to be back in flavor, after EA’s latest action-adventure release Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order blew past major sales milestones for both the publishing company and franchise in just two weeks.
After the disappointing releases of EA’s reboot of the massively-popular Battlefront series, many Star Wars fans had written off the publishers’ ability to create a great title to add to the dozens of memorable games set in Disney’s sci-fi universe.
Abandoning the monetized format of Battlefront (2015) and Battlefront 2 (2017), EA partnered up with Titanfall and Apex Legends developers Respawn Entertainment, and dived straight into a narrative-driven adventure title.
The move paid off—EA has revealed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is now the fastest-selling digital launch for a Star Wars title ever, and has become EA’s top-selling Star Wars title just two weeks after first being launched on PC, Xbox, and PS4.
Respawn, Lucasfilm, and EA didn’t just succeed financially either, with players and critics alike welcoming the 2019 release, and it’s story of a solitary Jedi surviving post-Order 66 as the nefarious Empire rises around him, as a breath of fresh air.
The narrative follows Cal Kestis (Cameron Monaghan) as he seeks to learn more about the power of the Force after the collapse of the Jedi Order, and has been dubbed “the best Star Wars game ever made.”
Fallen Order’s story is propped up by its cast of whacky characters that fill the world around Kestis, including much-lauded Cere Junda (Debra Wilson), a former Jedi Knight, and larger-than-life pilot Greez (Daniel Roebuck), all of whom added to the fast-selling title taking the gaming world by storm in recent weeks.
“On behalf of Respawn and EA, we thank everyone for their support of the studio and the team throughout the development and launch of Fallen Order. Telling a story in the Star Wars galaxy is a dream come true and the reception has been incredible,” Vince Zampella, head of Respawn, said after the news.
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“With the launch of the game, the debut of The Mandalorian and the upcoming release of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, it’s a great time to be a Star Wars fan!”
Disney executive Sean Shoptaw, who runs games and interactive experiences, as well as Disney’s amusement parks, said Fallen Order’s success had gone a long way to proving that “original storytelling in Star Wars games” could succeed.
“The close collaboration between Respawn and Lucasfilm is a perfect example of how we can deliver an experience for fans that is authentic to the stories and worlds they love, while also being an incredibly fun and innovative game,” he said.
It’s certainly good news for Stars Wars gamers, especially those who have been keeping busy replaying famous old story-driven titles like Knights of the Old Republic and Republic Commando. Now it seems the drought is at an end.
For now, there are no new Star Wars titles officially announced, but after Shoptaw’s comments, it seems Disney and Lucasfilm have bought into the power of telling Star Wars stories through games, so there’s sure to be more on the way.
And who knows—with how popular The Mandalorian has been since its premiere, we may even see an adaptation similar to Bounty Hunter (2002), meaning we’d get to play alongside the cutest Star Wars character yet: Baby Yoda.
