The upcoming Star Wars game has been in the news for months now, but it was just a couple of days ago that EA and Respawn Entertainment finally had something big to announce. An official game trailer was revealed and it looks quite interesting and different. With millions of views in just a single day, it’s a clear sign that it’s going to be big.
A release date was also announced and it was set on November 15, 2019. Platforms that mentioned was for PC, PS4, and Xbox One. There was no further announcement if these were shared by other gaming platforms.
It is said that the story takes place just after Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, but not after A New Hope. That would take you in a time frame where Jedi were universally hunted.
The most interesting news that the fans were both anxious and excited about is its gameplay. Electronic Arts (EA) tweeted that the game is purely single-player and does not include any micro-transactions whatsoever. It’s a purely story-driven game that is said to be focused on lightsaber combat system and of course the ‘Force’.
“No microtransactions. No loot boxes. And no, we won’t be adding them. A single-player Star Wars story for those of you who are ready to become a Jedi”
Tweet from EA Star Wars
Fallen Order Getting a lot of Heat
During the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) that was held last 2018 in Los Angeles, fans around the world rejoiced at the announcement of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Being a powerful and influential franchise that it is, both the hopefuls and skeptics expressed their opinions whether it would live up to their fans’ expectations.
So why the commotion?
With the recent reveal, tweets and announcements, it’s a little hard to grasp that EA, the company who aggressively implemented their loot boxes and other micro-transactions into their games, suddenly had a change of heart.
If you aren’t up to date with the gaming community, EA had a lot of criticisms and ‘hate’ thrown at them for quite some time now. The company was in the hot-seat for months. While they are already known to be ‘greedy’ with their micro-transactions, it all erupted with their monetization fiasco in Star Wars: Battlefront 2. To top it off, the gameplay progression system was impacting the whole experience of the game in a terrible way. Fans were outraged and demanded a refund or a change in its progression system.
That being said, you kind of get the idea why a lot of people are doubting this ‘no-microtransactions’ announcement from EA. History tells us that the company isn’t aiming for their fans’ gaming experience, but instead to look for more ways to cash in on microtransactions.
Why the Change of Heart?
There are a lot of speculations on why EA made such a ‘big’ and ‘bold’ move. For starters, it isn’t really that big of a move. It’s supposed to be the norm when it comes to purchasing a single-player game. Who knows, it might hit the market with a higher price than it’s supposed to be. You never really know with the company.
Although, some fans do believe that the game actually will be, as the company say it will, the credit however doesn’t usually go to EA, but instead to the CEO of Respawn Entertainment, Vince Zampella. He is someone who is widely revered in the Titanfall franchise and the new rapidly growing Battle Royale game, Apex Legends. Respawn Entertainment is the developer involved with game Fallen Order.
What to Expect from Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order?
With nothing but a quick look from the trailer and some surprising announcements from the developers, there really isn’t much for now. Respawn Entertainment however gave us a little something to look forward to, which is the melee combat and the story.
“The team at Lucasfilm have been amazing collaborators, helping us explore and further develop this part of the timeline where the Empire is at the height of its power and any remaining Jedi are in hiding. Within this narrative, we’ve crafted a game with intense, yet thoughtful and fun melee combat using the lightsaber and Force powers, allowing anyone to fulfill their Jedi fantasy”
Stig Asmussen, Game Director
