Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order Just Got Called Out By Its Dev
"Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" proved to be a single-player hit, reaffirming fans' confidence that new "Star Wars" video games can be good. While there's a number of things EA did right with the title, it's no secret that "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" was almost a very different game – but players are now learning how different some elements could've been. A former developer for Respawn Entertainment has claimed that "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" might have featured a Black or female (or both!) protagonist, but the idea was squashed before it could take off.
While Cal Kestis went on to become the title's main character, and in-turn engrained himself in "Star Wars" canon, plenty of people working on the "Fallen Order" would've opted for a more diverse lead. Historically, the "Star Wars" franchise has seen its most important and story-centric characters represented by white males. Detecting an opportunity to remedy that issue at Respawn Entertainment, many developers reportedly wanted a leading lady or person of color to take up the lightsaber instead of just another version of what came before. With this purported revelation about "Star Wars Jedi: Fall Order" circulating on social media, fans are chiming in to offer their take on the whole situation too.
Respawn allegedly said no to a Black and/or female protagonist
Former Respawn Entertainment dev Nora Shramek took to Twitter to discuss her experiences with representation while working on "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order." In a series of tweets, Shramek outlined how she and her contemporaries supposedly had their hopes squashed right from the start. Shramek said, "When I worked on SW:JFO a LOT of devs wanted & advocated 4 the main character 2b [Black] &/or a woman. 'Reasons' 4 NO: We already have 2 [Black] people in the game. Rey is a woman & we can't do that to' guess what the demographic of the people making those decisions looked like?"
While the call for more representation isn't new, the conversation surrounding it has become increasingly common in recent years. Shramek's remarks spawned all kinds of comments, but these reactions proved a mixed bag. Plenty supported Shramek's main point, however, some individuals were happy with what the game offered. One such commenter said, "So? What's wrong with the current protagonist? I don't see anything wrong with the decision they made. Certainly it was nothing wrong with the character being [a] woman or [Black] either."
If Shramek's claims prove true, the "Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order" sequel could serve as a redemption story for Respawn Entertainment and the Black and/or female Jedi lead that could have been.