LogInStar Wars Jedi director Stig Asmussen has shared that Lucasfilm was extremely protective about certain elements of the Star Wars universe and even contemplated omitting Jedi characters from Fallen Order.
The release of Star Wars Jedi: Survivor is just around the corner. Following the success of its predecessor, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, many are looking forward to continuing the story of Cal Kestis, one of the few Jedi who managed to survive the events that nearly wiped out the entire Jedi Order.
It's now difficult to envision Star Wars Jedi without its protagonist, however, it turns out that the franchise could have taken a different direction entirely and may not have been the Jedi game series at all.
The news comes from Star Wars Jedi director Stig Asmussen, who opened up about his work on the game series and collaboration with Lucasfilm. In an interview with the Guardian, the developer shared that the company was extremely protective when it came to certain aspects of the Star Wars universe and even considered excluding any Jedi characters from the original Star Wars Jedi game.
According to Asmussen, Lucasfilm was initially reluctant to allow Cal Kestis to be a Jedi, proposing that he be portrayed as a "force user" instead. The company went so far as to suggest that the character could be a bounty hunter or smuggler, extensively challenging Respawn Entertainment about the necessity of Cal being a Jedi for the game to succeed.
"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."
"I’m like, well I think you have the wrong person for the job," said Asmussen. "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. You might as well be asking me to make a racing game."
Fortunately, as Respawn and Lucasfilm worked together, they developed a trusting relationship which eventually allowed Respawn to create the beloved Star Wars Jedi series we know today. Still, it's interesting to learn about the initial challenges and creative differences that were faced at the beginning of the project.
You can learn more by reading the full interview with Stig Asmussen here. Also, don't forget to join our 80 Level Talent platform and our Telegram channel, follow us on Instagram and Twitter, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.