Credit: LucasfilmSo far, 2024 has proven to be somewhat of a roller coaster for fans of Respawn Entertainment and its parent company, Electronic Arts’ (EA), longtime collaboration with Lucasfilm. And now, we might finally have an idea as to why a highly-anticipated Star Wars video game was scrapped if a new report is anything to go by.
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Fan concerns have begun to grow about the future of Star Wars video games following the recent confirmation that EA has canceled Respawn’s Star Wars FPS, which was expected to star a Mandalorian bounty hunter — not the one we know from The Mandalorian Disney+ show, but rather an original character distinct from Din Djarin (Pedro Pascal).
The untitled project was initially announced alongside Bit Reactor and Respawn’s Star Wars strategy game and “Jedi: Survivor” in January 2022 and was believed to be in active development, as the game was still looking to hire staff on the day the cancellation was announced last week.
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So, why was the untitled Star Wars FPS game canceled? Well, a new report from trusted scooper The Bespin Bulletin claims that it might have something to do with Jedi — or, rather, the lack thereof.
According to the outlet, a French YouTube show and podcast by Origami shared details on the possible reasoning behind the video game’s cancelation, though the translation was rough. Per the hosts and journalists, one of the reasons behind EA’s decision to axe Respawn’s planned Star Wars game was that the FPS did not feature Jedi or lightsabers.
“If there is no Lightsaber, we’re not too sure about that. That’s it,” the source revealed when discussing the possibility of future Star Wars games being developed at EA and Respawn.
Of course, it’s important to note that Jedi and lightsabers, to put it simply, are huge draws for the masses when it comes to anything Star Wars. But with Season 1 of The Mandalorian featuring very little of the Force altogether and still managing to become a massive success for Disney+, fans surely would’ve been interested in the scrapped FPS game, given they’d be playing as a Mando.
Does ‘Star Wars’ Need Lightsabers and Jedi to Work?
Well, on a fundamental level, no.
As mentioned, the standalone approach The Mandalorian took in its first season made it easily accessible for both longtime Star Wars fans and casual viewers alike. More recently, the Diego Luna-fronted Andor series, which ditched Jedi and lightsabers for a grounded espionage thriller, became one of the property’s top-rated Disney+ originals of all time, with its second season expected to arrive next year.
Needless to say, the quality of a Star Wars story isn’t necessarily contingent on whether or not it includes high-stakes lightsaber duels and powerful Jedi, as some of the best film and TV projects out there were almost better for not relying on the same iconography that makes Star Wars, well, Star Wars, allowing the writing to really shine. Still, there’s no denying that it does draw people in.
But considering the success of “Jedi: Fallen Order” and “Jedi: Survivor,” it’s not entirely surprising that Respawn and EA would want to place a safer bet on a similar project, given EA’s turbulent start to 2024. The company plans to lay off roughly 700 employees as part of its cost-cutting efforts, with the scrapped Mandalorian-centric video game likely also being a victim of such initiatives.
For now, things are looking bleak for the future of Respawn and EA’s partnership with Lucasfilm. But fans should never say never, as there might be potential for the Mandalorian FPS game to be resurrected in the future should fan support persist.
Were you disappointed to learn that the upcoming Star Wars FPS game was canceled? Let us know in the comments below!