Respawn Entertainment's Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order was a big surprise for fans of the studio and the franchise. Even now, Respawn Entertainment, originally comprised of industry veterans responsible for early Call of Duty titles, is primarily known for its contributions to the first-person shooter genre. Regardless, Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order was released by the studio in 2019 and was met with a very positive reception from fans and critics alike.
The game followed an entirely new Jedi character that was trying to reorganize the Jedi after Order 66. However, the game ended with a cliff-hanger that left the possibility of a sequel wide open, and rumors about that sequel being in development have been prevalent - with Electronic Arts and Respawn Entertainment seemingly teasing the game as well. This has been exciting for fans of the first game, but Respawn's community coordinator also said recently that the company was not currently working on Titanfall 3. While this is disappointing to those who loved Titanfall 2, it could be very good news for Jedi: Fallen Order 2.
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Respawn's Seeming Abandonment of Titanfall
Titanfall is a sci-fi FPS that lets players play as both pilots and large mechs called Titans. The series quickly became popular with its first release due to its fast action, high skill ceiling, and unique multiplayer features. The sequel expanded on all of these elements while also adding a single-player campaign that was very well received due to its surprisingly strong writing and fantastic level design. Afterward, Respawn Entertainment launched Apex Legends, the free-to-play battle royale that is set in the Titanfall universe - although it doesn't feature any of the titular mechs. Apex Legends exploded in popularity upon release, and it has enjoyed a place near the top of its genre over the years following its debut.
Many fans think that it is because of Apex Legends' success that Respawn Entertainment seems so disinterested in releasing a new Titanfall game. This fear has only been stoked by the many hackers that have plagued lobbies in Titanfall 2 for months without any action from the developers. Recently, different hackers even took to infiltrating Apex Legends, with a message saying that they would keep trying until Titanfall 2 received some attention from the developer. Following the comments of its community coordinator, Respawn did release an official statement saying that Titanfall was in the company's DNA, but it was far from confirmation that it was interested in future releases.
Why The Lack of New Titanfall is Good for Jedi: Fallen Order 2
Respawn Entertainment is a reasonably big studio, housing over 300 employees as reported in 2019, but there are still only so many projects that the team can take on at once. This means that a new Titanfall game being worked on at the studio would divert possible resources away from Jedi: Fallen Order 2. Not only would a third game possibly take some of the developers away from Jedi: Fallen Order 2, but it could also possibly take away from the game's marketing resources and support that it would need to be the best sequel possible. However, it certainly seems like Jedi: Fallen Order is a priority, with the shadow dropping of next-gen versions of Jedi: Fallen Order earlier this year being an example of this.
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The lack of a Titanfall 3 also could help Jedi: Fallen Order 2 by allowing Respawn Entertainment to devote more time to its development, with the developer also not needing to fit the game into a release schedule alongside its other projects. This means that the team would be able to focus on making the game as polished and innovative as possible before its release, which could mean big things for the story, graphics, and even the lightsaber mechanics in Jedi: Fallen Order 2.
Why The Future Is Bright For Jedi: Fallen Order 2
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was a big success for Respawn Entertainment and EA, and reportedly even pushed the publisher to pivot and focus on delivering more dedicated single-player experiences in the future. As such, the idea that Respawn Entertainment is working on a sequel, and that it wants to really focus on it and ensure its success, makes a lot of sense. It also could indicate that EA will want to double-down on its single-player Star Wars properties by building its own universe within the franchise through its games. Rumors have speculated about this possibility over the past year or so, with some claiming that it will even include a Star Wars: The Force Unleashed reboot. Of course, whether or not any of the rumors are true remains to be seen over the coming years.
Regardless of whether or not EA attempts to build its own consistent Star Wars universe, Respawn Entertainment not working on Titanfall 3 at the moment should lead to some big improvements in the sequel. Not only will the developer be able to take full advantage of new gaming hardware, but Respawn will have the time and experience to iron out some of the small issues that were present in the original, or even to take cues from other Soulsborne games for Jedi: Fallen Order 2. Of course, this will help the game be as successful as possible, and it could also help it set a new standard alongside genre juggernauts like Elden Ring.
Regardless, now is definitely an exciting time to be a Star Wars fan in gaming. With new games like LEGO Star Wars, Ubisoft's Star Wars title, a Knights of the Old Republic remake, the rumored Mandalorian game, and possibly Jedi: Fallen Order 2, there is a lot for Star Wars fans to look forward to across several genres. It will be great to see what else Star Wars has in store for fans moving forward, and hopefully fans will get some news on everything soon.
Star Wars: Jedi Fallen Order 2 is rumored to be in development.
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