The release of 2019’sStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Orderbecame one of the most notable titles for bothRespawn Entertainmentand the widerStar Warsfranchise. On the heels of its success, the studio is now prepping for the launch ofStar Wars Jedi: Survivor, its highly anticipated sequel. As fans await what’s to come with the follow-up entry,Respawnis also focusing its efforts on another ambitious project: aStar Warsfirst-person shooter.
EA has been the exclusive publisher ofStar Warsgames for years, andFallen Ordermarked an interesting addition to the roster. Although mostly known for theTitanfallgames andApex Legends, Respawn found massive success early on withStar Wars Jedi: Fallen Ordercrossing 10 million playersin just a few months. With the studio undoubtedly looking to garner a similar reception through its sequel, details around theStar WarsFPS project remain unclear with little being confirmed. Nevertheless, certain details have surfaced online since the project’s announcement, and it already paints an intriguing picture.
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Respawn is Taking Inspiration from the Classics
One of the biggest indicators for how theStar WarsFPS project will take shape is its inspiration,Dark ForcesandJedi Knight: Dark Forces2. The late 90s titles have grown to be cult classics, and some fans have even madeplayable 4K mods ofStar Wars: Dark Forces, signifying a continuing interest in the older IP. This builds expectations for what aDark Forces-inspired modernStar Warsgame could look like. Respawn Entertainment is no stranger to FPS games considering its history on titles likeTitanfall2 andApex Legends, so it wouldn’t be hard to imagine another promising shooter from the company.
Another interesting aspect of Respawn’s untitled project is its reported multiplayer. While the studio hasn’t officially announced any live-service elements, one of its job vacancies for a “Senior Gameplay Software Engineer” tied to theStar WarsFPS specified the candidate should have experience working on a multiplayer game. Respawn has also stated theStar WarsFPS game is a “story-driven single-player” experiencein several other vacancies, hinting that it might follow a structure similar toTitanfall2 that includes both a narrative single-player focus and multiplayer aspects.
The company will be bringing itsStar WarsFPS project to life in Unreal Engine 5. Since the unveiling of the latest version of Unreal, developers like CD Projekt Red have been prioritizing Unreal Engine 5 over even their own game engines. More recently, fans got a glimpse of Unreal Engine 5’s potential viaan incredible facial animation showcase forHellblade2. The idea that a similar scale could be achieved in theStar Warsuniverse is bound to pique the interest of many across the industry, but only time will tell how all of this shapes Respawn’s next big AAA game.
Of course, it should be noted that it’s going to be a long while until the studio announces any story details or teasers. At the time of writing, Respawn is hiring 11 roles for itsStar WarsFPS game, all exclusively at its Los Angeles studio. Given the company is ramping up hiring for the project andRespawn just opened up a third studio to seemingly focus onApex Legends, it’s clear there might be other top priorities following the release ofStar Wars Jedi: Survivor. Still, if a possible third entry in theStar Wars Jediseries comes afterSurvivor, it’s looking like a promising few years ahead for fans of the franchise and Respawn Entertainment.
Respawn Entertainment’sStar WarsFPS is currently in development.
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