Some fans attending Star Wars Celebration in Chicago were surprised to see Gotham‘s Cameron Monaghan — an actor without a known connection to Star Wars — casually strolling through the hotel lobby almost unnoticed Friday night. Having recently confirmed a full-time return to Showtime’s Shameless — which shoots in Chicago — his presence seemed coincidental until Electronic Arts (EA) kicked-off its panel for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order on Saturday. Monaghan is officially part of the Star Wars galaxy.
Respawn Entertainment, a studio of EA, announced that its latest third-person action adventure game will launch on Nov. 15 on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC via Origin.
In the game, Monaghan joins the Star Wars universe via a motion capture performance as a young Padawan named Cal Kestis — a Jedi-in-training who survived the Emperor’s Order 66, a secret degree to eliminate all Jedi. Set during the time period following the events of Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith, players must pick up the pieces of Cal’s shattered past to complete his training and master the art of the iconic lightsaber — all while staying one step ahead of the Empire and its deadly Inquisitors, the vicious Jedi hunters first introduced in Star Wars Rebels.
“Many Star Wars fans, ourselves included, are really interested in the dark times, so we wanted to explore that mysterious, dangerous period,” says Stig Asmussen, game director, Respawn Entertainment. “The team at Lucasfilm have been amazing collaborators, helping us explore and further develop this part of the timeline where the Empire is at the height of its power and any remaining Jedi are in hiding. Within this narrative, we’ve crafted a game with intense, yet thoughtful and fun melee combat using the lightsaber and Force powers, allowing anyone to fulfill their Jedi fantasy.”
On becoming a Jedi-in-training, Monaghan says, “Oh, it’s no big deal — it’s only every kid’s freakin’ dream ever to be a Jedi!”
“When Respawn approached us with the idea for this game, we were immediately supportive. A single player, story-driven title in the Star Wars universe was exactly what we were looking for, and we know the fans have been eager for one, as well,” adds Steve Blank, director, franchise content & strategy, Lucasfilm Story Group. “Focusing on Cal stepping back into the shoes of a Jedi post Order 66 opens up a lot of gameplay opportunities and rich story threads to develop for this new character and his backstory.”
The latest Star Wars game marks a departure from certain elements that fans have come to expect from EA — features that caused major backlash among Star Wars fans following the release of Battlefront II in 2017. Fallen Order does away with in-game transactions and “loot boxes” — a move confirmed by EA via Twitter prior to the official reveal on Saturday.
No microtransactions. No loot boxes. And no, we won't be adding them. A single-player Star Wars story for those of you who are ready to become a Jedi. https://t.co/kTheWVBjJc
— EA Star Wars (@EAStarWars) April 13, 2019
The game is available for pre-order now in standard and deluxe editions, with retail partners including Best Buy and Playstation Store offering bonus content for pre-order customers. GameStop partnered with Hasbro to include an exclusive 6-inch action figure from The Black Series (TBA, but expected to be Monaghan’s Kestis), while Dark Horse will publish a companion book, The Art of Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order.
