Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 Won't Be Impacted by EA's Lost Exclusivity
Exclusive rights to video game adaptations of popular franchises are a good way to make money. EA has proven that for years, simply by having a hand in Star Wars video games since 2013. That relatively young exclusivity deal with Disney was cast into doubt when Lucasfilm Games announced a new Star Wars game in development with Ubisoft's help. At first blush, this announcement probably scared fans of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. If Lucasfilm Games was going to start making lots of Star Wars titles, it wouldn't be hard to believe that it wanted exclusive rights to furthering the franchise in this medium.
However, EA has already come forward to reassure fans of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. It claims that there'll be more EA Star Wars games in the future, which means odds are good that Fallen Order 2 will show up someday. As indicated in its statement, EA is no stranger to collaborating with Lucasfilm on Star Wars projects. There's probably going to be a lot more collaboration in the future if Lucasfilm Games is starting to take a more hands-on role, but Fallen Order 2 won't be waylaid by that new connection. For now, it doesn't look like this theoretical sequel will get competition.
Lucasfilm Games says it has a lot going on in 2021. Although it's confirmed that there's one open-world Star Wars game in the works, it sounds like Lucasfilm Games has more Star Wars projects on the horizon. Apparently, Lucasfilm Games is interested in having a more active role in games about its IP, which spurred this surprising game announcement. While that makes it sound like Lucasfilm wasn't pleased with the likes of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, that doesn't seem likely, since the game was very warmly received. It might just be interested in helping future Star Wars games be as successful as Fallen Order.
Odds are good that Lucasfilm Games will want to collaborate more directly with EA and Respawn Entertainment on Fallen Order 2. If Lucasfilm Games is making its own titles, that's for the best. Transparency between all these studios means that overlap of design, themes, gameplay, and so on between Lucasfilm's project and Fallen Order 2 can be minimized, preventing the games from competing with one another. That means EA's lost exclusivity will turn into an advantage. More Star Wars games will see production in a way that benefits all the involved studios, benefitting fans and developers alike.
Rumor indicates that Fallen Order 2 has been in development for some time now. It would be unwise for Lucasfilm Games to stomp on EA's development. Although Star Wars Battlefront 2 was controversial, EA proved with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order that it can produce a high-quality narrative game with the Star Wars IP. Lucasfilm Games probably feels inclined to let EA keep exploring this frontier and might even be willing to let EA keep the same level of freedom it had when it had exclusive rights to Star Wars games.
Rather than trying to wrench control of the franchise from EA, Lucasfilm Games sounds like it wants to expand Star Wars games into a much larger pool of playable experiences. Star Wars is such an expansive fictional universe that there's really no shortage of room for new games. As a franchise, Star Wars already has a long history of game adaptations, with some entries to be proud of, like Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Lucasfilm Games sounds inclined to capture those glory days of Star Wars games. With the help of franchises like EA and Respawn's Jedi: Fallen Order, Lucasfilm could have the chance to kick of a Star Wars game renaissance.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is available now for PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One. A sequel is reportedly in development.
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