Can we trust EA with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order? We break down the reasons we believe EA can make up for their past transgressions, but there are also reasons to remain hesitant.
Launching later this year, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is EA’s next venture in Star Wars video game canon. This game is exciting news for many, but there’s also blanket anxiety over many fans of the franchise on whether or not this one will have the same impact pre-Disney Star Wars games had.
From what we’ve gathered based on the information released, Fallen Order is a strictly single-player focused story, and it won’t be a loot box cash-grab like previous EA titles. That’s according them, and Respawn Entertainment, the developers behind the title. Despite Respawn reassuring fans, many do not trust EA.
But what if we were to say there are pros to trusting them? There are cons too. As a big Star Wars fan myself, I want the next Force Unleashed or something like it. If EA is the one to deliver that, then by all means. Should we give up hope so easily? I think not.
Pros and Cons to Trusting EA
The Battlefront Updates – Pro
Yes, the initial release of Battlefront 1 and 2 was significantly disappointing, especially with two after EA knew fans weren’t happy with how the first game turned out. Over a few years, both games gave fans enough content to warrant keeping the game and playing it more. Whether it was adding Scarif and a whole new game type, or updating Battlefront 2 with a large Geonosis map and a variety of Clone Troopers with different armor color and designs to take into battle.
We’re not making excuses for the lack of content upon release. But over time both games have become quite playable.
Loot Boxes – Con
EA will forever be stained green by its greedy tendency to push loot boxes, especially in a game that has such a wide age range. The problem wasn’t that adults were spending money on loot boxes that put their rewards up to chance, but kids were also subject to the cash-grab. This marketing strategy ended up causing great debate not only in the video game community but in local governments where officials wanted to investigate if the game contained any forms of gambling.
Although the company has come out and said that this would bee for Fallen Order, many of us are still a little less than trusting on the matter. The anxiety will go away once the game releases and proves it doesn’t need them.
Solid Star Wars Campaign – Pro
The first trace of post-Disney video game canon started with Battlefront 2, where players met new characters, a new special forces unit in the Empire, and a decent story that fit into the original trilogy story reasonably well. Though the campaign was rather short, the gameplay mechanics, characters, and story were enough to satisfy anyone’s galactic thirst.
The campaign featured Iden Versio, the leader of Inferno Squad, a special operations team who worked for the Empire that wore some of the coolest uniforms the Imperial army had to offer. She’s conflicted, and her story takes her through a fun and satisfying arc. Worth noting that EA can tell stories when they choose to.
Stubborn – Con
Despite fan complaints and feedback, EA reluctantly pulled back on those grievances on multiple occasions, even defending their decisions to allow for things like loot boxes. Following all of the controversy that grabbed the attention of world governments, EA recently came out in defense and support of their business scheme.
These choices by EA were a significant reason why fans and gamers are hesitant to trust EA and Disney’s decision to give them creative control over the story-based content.
Other Story Content – Pro
Finally, there’s plenty of previous story-based content that gives a little credit to EA’s ability to make a good game. Just look at their archive of titles like Battlefield, Dead Space, and Mass Effect, to name a few. Games like these were and still highly praised for the story elements that make them stand out as single-player titles.
Is it possible that EA will use these previous titles as models for how to make a good game? Star Wars fans can only hope.
