Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, Six Months Later

There are Star Wars games, and then there’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Created by Respawn Entertainment, the studio behind Titanfall and Apex Legends, Fallen Order brought some spunk to that long-ago galaxy. Far, far away from a phoned-in, branded cash grab, Fallen Order treated players to an adventure that was part Dark Souls, part Metroidvania, and 100 per cent fun. It was also without question the second-best Star Wars thing of 2019 (right behind Baby Yoda). Here’s how the game’s first six months in the wild have gone.

• On June 8, 2019, EA showed off first-look gameplay of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order at the EA Play 2019 event. In addition to cool lightsaber moves and even cooler Force powers, the video featured a longtime hallmark of Respawn games: wall-running.

• Later that month, EA released a gameplay demonstration—previously only shown privately during E3—that unveiled the full scope of Fallen Order. It immediately became apparent that this game wasn’t just Uncharted with a Star Wars paint job. Players could expect non-linear levels on multiple planets, open-ended gameplay inspired by the likes of Metroid and Castlevania, and a sick-looking ship.

• Right before Halloween 2019, EA confirmed that Fallen Order would be the first EA game to come out on Steam since 2013. Other games from the EA catalogue soon followed.

• On November 15, 2019, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order debuted on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. Kotaku’s Paul Tamayo called it a “big video game smoothie” that “feels both familiar and inventive all at once.” Joshua Rivera, who I’m told worked at Kotaku once upon a time, praised the bold new direction in which Fallen Order took the Star Wars universe.

• Not three days after the game’s release, Rudeism, a guy who designs bespoke gaming controllers, created a custom controller for Fallen Order. Surprise: It’s a lightsaber!

• A designer for Fallen Order revealed that one of the game’s early optional bosses, Oggdo Bogdo, earned that moniker for one reason: It rhymed. Oggdo Bogdo, by the way, turned out to be a pretty tough fight.

• Less than a week into launch, players discovered multiple game-breaking bugs. We’re not talking bugs where you have to quit out and relaunch the game. These bugs—including one that trapped Cal in a Dathomir chasm—forced players to restart the game from scratch.

• Joshua Rivera officially reviewed Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order for Kotaku on November 19, 2019. Unlike the game in question, the review came out with zero bugs and required nothing in the way of post-release patches or updates.

• Nicholas Cameron, a level designer for Respawn, shared details about a heartwarming late-game easter egg. On the ice planet Ilum, players could unlock an echo—collectibles in Fallen Order that shed light on the lore and the universe—about the Jedi master Mar Ti “Bucky” Kam’Ron. That echo is named after Cameron’s father, Marty “Bucky” Cameron, who worked at Lucasarts during the company’s heyday.

• Enterprising modders introduced a mod that, on paper, was meant to improve Cal’s facial features. However, it had the unintended effect of causing Cal to look a whole lot like Sophie Turner’s husband, some guy named… Joseph Jonas?

• Fallen Order’s ending blew everyone’s minds like supernovae. (Get more on our thoughts about it here.)

• After a month of space-faring, it’s confirmed: The ship is indeed sick.

• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order received a photo mode in mid-December 2019. That mode came alongside a patch that addressed many remaining bugs and crashes. Still, by January 2020, the game was far from perfect.

• A mid-January patch improved some bugs but, far more importantly, unlocked the orange lightsaber colour for all players. Before the patch, the Rey-coloured lightsaber was only available to folks who pre-ordered the game. All the other pre-order cosmetic bonuses were unlocked too, but are ship skins really a worthy reward?

• During a February 2020 chat at the D.I.C.E. Summit in Las Vegas, Respawn’s Stig Asmussen shared the tidbit that the studio almost had to steer clear of using the word “Jedi.” Things eventually worked out, which is good. Star Wars Random Person In The Galaxy Without Magic Powers Or A Laser Sword: Fallen Order would’ve been a far less interesting game.

• In April 2020, The Hollywood Reporter Hollywood-reported that Fallen Order was due out on Google Stadia some time in 2020.

• On Star Wars Day (May the Fourth) 2020, Fallen Order received a substantial free update, including a new-game plus, improved accessibility settings, and some cosmetic options. But the meatiest addition was a series of combat challenges and battle arenas that injected new life into the game.

And that’s where things are at. There’s not yet official word of a sequel—nor of any campaign-sized DLC—but EA honchos called Star Wars Jedi a “franchise” in a recent earnings call. Whether that refers to Cal’s story or to a whole new narrative under the Star Wars Jedi umbrella remains to be seen. It probably won’t focus on Baby Yoda, but a guy can dream, right?