‘Jedi Fallen Order’ will take gamers to the Star Wars universe in late 2019

By Jayce Wagner Updated April 25, 2023

We got a big surprise from Respawn Entertainment’s CEO Vince Zampella during Electronic Arts’ E3 2018 presentation at EA Play: There’s a new Star Wars game coming and it will take us to a dark time in the Star Wars universe. Its title gives us a hint about its content: In Jedi Fallen Order, players take on the role of a Jedi during the purge, when the budding Empire is hunting the Jedi to extinction.

Details are a little fuzzy beyond that. Zampella confirms that the game takes place between Star Wars: Episode III and Episode IV and we’ll likely see it hit store shelves around the 2019 holiday season. That’s it. No gameplay, concept art, or even a logo.

Still, these details are the first we’ve really seen from this game, which EA and Respawn Entertainment teased in early 2016.

Get your game on

“I have been playing Star Wars games my whole life, now I get to make a Star Wars game,” wrote game director Stig Asmussen on the Respawn Entertainment blog in early 2016. “On top of that, I get to do it at Respawn, a studio comprised of the most talented collection of game makers, creators, visionaries, and (most importantly) advocates for the player, that I have had the good fortune to work with. And we, like you all, have no shortage of Star Wars passion.”

It’s impressive that Respawn has managed to keep such a tight lid on details about the game, given the fervor that Star Wars properties are typically met with. That’s not to mention the number of pre-E3 leaks we’ve already seen this year. A part of that could be due to the way Respawn has structured its Star Wars team, starting small and growing outward.

“Now, I understand on the surface this might sound a bit dry, but developing a game within the ever-expanding Star Wars universe opens up so many paths for us to go down, and an unparalleled playground to design within,” Asmussen continued. “We have already planted the seeds by assembling a small, but incredibly talented team, ready for the amazing journey that lies ahead. With this in mind, we are looking to expand the dream.”

This blog entry reads a bit differently now that we actually have some small details about the upcoming game. We’re still in the dark here, but the prospect of a story-driven action game in the Star Wars universe is an exciting one.

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Former Digital Trends Contributor

A staff writer for the Computing section, Jayce covers a little bit of everything -- hardware, gaming, and occasionally VR.

Gaming

First Star Wars Jedi: Survivor trailer features dual-lightsaber combat, open-world teases

Cal Kestis with BD-1 droid on his shoulder.

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is launching on March 17, 2023, for Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and PC. The action-adventure game received an impressive trailer during The Game Awards that showed off several new features and teased some potential open-world aspects.
Survivor takes place five years after 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, continuing the adventures of Cal Kestis and his droid pal BD-1. Cal is no longer a young Padawan and is now a full-blown Jedi. The much larger scope of the game seems to reflect that change.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Official Reveal Trailer
Combat is notably evolved in the trailer, as Cal can now freely use a dual-lightsaber stance in battle. Later, we see him enter “cross guard” stance as he takes down droids with heavy, two-handed slashes. EA tells Digital Trends that the goal of the sequel is to give players more agency when it comes to their playstyle.
Traversal plays a large role in the clip too. In addition to swinging around via grappling points, Cal is seen mounted on animals. He’s shown riding the back of a four-legged creature and using a winged one like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild’s glider. The clip seems to imply that the game’s planets might be more open-ended than Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s, as one shot shows Cal peering out over a gigantic vista. EA notes that the sequel is still largely a Metroidvania-inspired title where Cal gets new abilities over time.
Cal has a new human companion this time named Bode Akuna. In one clip, we see Bode flipping over Cal’s back to attack an enemy with a combo move.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was built with current-generation consoles in mind, with ray tracing being a major focus. It appears to be a graphically impressive showcase that features more dynamic lighting and flashy lightsaber effects. The adventure won’t launch on PS4 or Xbox One, but it’ll be available for PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC on March 17, 2023.

Gaming

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor release date pops up on Steam ahead of Game Awards

Cal Kestis with BD-1 droid on his shoulder.

The release date of the highly anticipated Star Wars game Star Wars Jedi: Survivor leaked on the game's official Steam page.
A Steam Page for Star Wars Jedi: Survivor went live with this release date information on Monday morning, seemingly ahead of a heavily rumored appearance at The Game Awards. The store page description reveals more details about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor as well as its Deluxe Edition, which contains cosmetics that make protagonist Cal Kestis look like Luke Skywalker and Han Solo and the pre-order bonus with a costume, Lightsaber, and Blaster based on Obi-Wan.

The "About This Game" section also provides more details on the game. Narratively, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's Steam page explains that "Cal is driven to make a stand during the galaxy’s darkest times -- but how far is he willing to go to protect himself, his crew, and the legacy of the Jedi Order?" On the gameplay side of things, new Force abilities, Lightsaber fighting styles, and enemies to take down are teased. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor looks like it will be a galaxy-trotting adventure like its predecessor the description hints that there will be lots of planets to explore and that they'll be bigger and have more secrets than the ones in Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
EA and Respawn Entertainment have been relatively quiet regarding Star Wars Jedi: Survivor since announcing the game in May, so it's exciting to get a lot of new information about the game like its sooner-than-expected release date. If the rumors are true, this may have deflated the hype from one of The Game Awards 2022's big reveals.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be released for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S on March 15, 2023.

Gaming

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor comes to current consoles in 2023

Cal Kestis stares at a person in a tank in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor.

EA has finally revealed the title and set a release year for the sequel to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. According to a new teaser trailer, the game's name is Star Wars Jedi: Survivor and it will release in 2023.
Star Wars Jedi: Survivor - Official Teaser
In addition to the trailer, EA shared a synopsis for the game's story in a press release, revealing that Survivor takes place five years after the events of Fallen Order. "Cal must stay one step ahead of the Empire's constant pursuit as he begins to feel the weight of being one of the last remaining Jedi in the galaxy," the press release says. "Accompanied by his trusty companion BD-1, Cal will meet and ally himself with an array of unique and interesting characters on his journey."
The teaser trailer doesn't feature any gameplay. However, the press release confirms that Survivor will be a single-player action-adventure title like its predecessor and that Cal will have some new abilities at his disposal. Fallen Order director Stig Asmussen returned to direct this new game, saying that "we're leveraging advanced technology to create more dynamic Jedi combat and cinematic storytelling to expand on Cal's story as he matures and survives during the dark times." He also promised to show more of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor later this year.
This announcement comes during a jam-packed Star Wars Celebration where we've also received trailers for shows like Andor and Willow. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor appears to be the big video game announcement of the event, although EA has previously stated that Respawn Entertainment was developing a sequel to Fallen Order.
In a press release, EA confirms that Survivor will be current-gen only "to create a deeper and more expansive Star Wars experience," so don't expect it to come out for PS4 or Xbox One. Star Wars Jedi: Survivor will be available for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S when it releases in 2023.