Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi game was so popular that it’s getting a sequel soon, but Lucasfilm originally had some big doubts. Star Wars Jedi Survivor director Stig Asmussen told The Guardian that Lucasfilm expressed concern over making Cal Kestis, the protagonist, a Jedi.
“We wanted to do third-person action adventure, and we wanted to have a Jedi with lightsabers. And then they’re like – wait,” Asmussen said. “At that point, to Lucasfilm, the Jedi are like the holy grail. I mean, it’s something that they’re probably the most protective of, except for maybe Baby Yoda. So we had to kind of earn that. We had to go through a whole process of, why do you want it to be a Jedi? What do you want to do with the Jedi? They were really uncomfortable with Jedi.”
Asmussen said Lucasfilm tried convincing Respawn to change the focus and use a smuggler as a hero or even to make a first-person shooter starring a bounty hunter. However tantalizing the prospect of a Star Wars Bounty Hunter made by Respawn might be to some fans, it wasn’t what Asmussen wanted.
“I’m like, ‘well I think you have the wrong person for the job,” he said. “That’s not my background. My background came from God of War … I’ve never worked on a shooter, and you need a different team to do that.’ And eventually over time, we built that trust to the point where we ended up calling [the franchise] Jedi.”
Aside from combat, Asmussen said telling the Star Wars story from a fledgling Jedi’s viewpoint just fit with the team’s vision. Asmussen wanted to take players on a journey of growth, from being an isolated trainee who wasn’t even fit to be a Padawan to a proper warrior with a deeper understanding of the galaxy.
Jedi Survivor tells the story of what happens next, with a grimmer, more determined Cal facing the might of the Empire with a handful of allies. It launches for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on April 28, 2023, and you can check out the final trailer now.
Written by Josh Broadwell on behalf of GLHF
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