Cal Kestis’ Star Wars future may be in limbo. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and its sequel Star Wars Jedi: Survivor introduced the world to Order 66 survivor Cal Kestis (Cameron Monaghan) and his adorable droid BD-1 as they try to navigate a galaxy in the clutches of the Empire. The Star Wars Jedi games have proven to be a massive success, with Fallen Order reaching over 20 million players and Survivor being one of 2023’s best-selling titles thus far. It seemed there was no stopping this dynamic Jedi and droid duo, but recent news has thrown their future into disarray.
As reported by Bloomberg, Stig Asmussen, who directed both Star Wars Jedi games, is leaving EA and Respawn Entertainment. An EA spokesperson stated: “After careful thought and consideration, Stig Asmussen has decided to leave Respawn to pursue other adventures, and we wish him the best of luck.” Currently, no further details are known about the reason for the split between Asmussen and Respawn, but considering Asmussen has always maintained that he saw Cal’s story as a trilogy, his leaving comes as a disappointing surprise.
So what happens to Cal, BD-1, and Dathomirian Nightsister Merrin now? The truth is, there’s no way to know. An official announcement for Star Wars Jedi‘s threequel would have been a long way off, anyway—Survivor only released a few months ago, and devs are still working out some of the kinks in the game. The better question is, if EA does move forward with the development of a third Jedi title, how will it compare to the first two? And who will be leading the project? Respawn is more than just one man but massive shake-ups like this can have a knock-on effect.
Both Jedi games are fantastic examples of Star Wars storytelling. Cal is a relatable, tragic, yet hopeful protagonist, wrestling with the trauma of Order 66, grief, attachments, betrayal, and the ever-present threat of the dark side. He’s one of Star Wars‘ best new protagonists in recent memory, occupying a corner of the galaxy unburdened by the Skywalker saga‘s all-encompassing family drama. It’s clear Lucasfilm believes in Cal’s story too—Survivor‘s narrative had important links to Star Wars‘ enormous multi-platform High Republic initiative, and a canon novel set between Fallen Order and Survivor by author Sam Maggs was published, as well.
Hopefully, that’s enough to convince EA and Respawn to go ahead with the next installment, even if a massive creative talent has left the project. Cal’s story certainly deserves a proper ending, and as much as I’d like to see him in animation, live-action, and future novels and comics, the only real way to conclude his tale is in the form of a world-class video game.
(via Bloomberg, featured image: EA/Respawn)
