Jedi: Fallen Order 2 Won’t Be on PS4, and You Should Be Glad
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 has gained some conversational buzz in the last week following its announcement in January. Various media outlets reported on the alleged news that Fallen Order‘s officially confirmed sequel will release exclusively for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
Sources speculate that the franchise’s inevitable next installation won’t hit shelves until 2023. Still, the news has caused some fans to lose hope that they’ll manage to obtain the elusive current-gen hardware the game will demand.
Regardless of players’ reactions to Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 reportedly abandoning last-gen consoles, this is good news. Let’s break down the top five reasons PlayStation gamers should be glad Fallen Order‘s sequel won’t release on PS4.
1) Jedi: Fallen Order‘s Performance Walks the Line on Base PS4
Nearly three years following its release, Fallen Order still hosts a plethora of performance issues on PS4. Frame-rate drops, stuttering, audio glitches, and abrupt in-game loading pauses plague the entirety of Cal’s journey.
Though these frequent occurrences detract from the overall enjoyability of the game from moment to moment, these bugs don’t make Fallen Order unplayable.
Still, it’s hard to believe that EA and Respawn couldn’t optimize the game’s performance. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order isn’t exactly breaking new technological ground, especially when considering other PS4 titles.
Games like God of War, The Last of Us: Part II, and Red Dead Redemption 2 each showcase the PlayStation 4’s capabilities. The bottom line is that Fallen Order‘s choppy performance is unjustified by its graphical or mechanical requirements. Releasing an even more taxing and hopefully more thoroughly developed sequel for any systems besides current-gen and PC would be a massive misfire.
2) Focus on Current-Gen Allows for Greater Potential
Recently, it seems that developers’ ambitions have gotten in their way of making a well-rounded product. Larger-than-life promises of literal game-changing features flood pre-launch marketing campaigns only to have the results fall so very flat.
Granted, Jedi: Fallen Order is not one of those games. Even with its myriad of technical issues, the game does a lot of things right. However, its three main gameplay loops still have plenty of room for improvement.
By keeping the game exclusive to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC, there is a considerably higher ceiling of potential for Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2.
Naturally, everyone expects the game to look better, but Respawn stands to make real progress with the game’s combat, platforming, and exploration systems.
It’s safe to say that Fallen Order‘s combat wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Additionally, the lack of any fast-travel systems forced players to repeatedly engage with the game’s sometimes janky platforming mechanics.
Reserving resources to develop Fallen Order 2 only for current-gen hardware signals a greater chance of the game obtaining a superior standard of quality.
Will the PS5 Be More Widely Available By 2023?
In the video that began all the speculation, games reporter Jeff Grubb claims that current-gen consoles will likely grow in availability by 2023.
According to Forbes, this may very well be the case. Production forecasts show that the supply of components necessary to manufacture gaming consoles should rise to meet demands sometime next year.
It’s unclear whether an influx in manufacturing materials will completely alleviate the current console shortage frustrating players today. Additionally, consumers may want to hold off on buying a PS5 in 2023 in favor of waiting for the as-of-yet unannounced PlayStation 5 Pro.
Still, dependable PS5 restocks may come just in time for Star Wars fans to get their hands on Respawn’s follow-up to their 2019 success.
3) EA Wants to Avoid the Cyberpunk Problem with Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2
Within the gaming industry today, it’s become common practice to release titles in a less-than-optimal state. However, few games have launched in quite as sorry a state as CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077.
Releasing a broken, lacking product understandably hurts a development company’s reputation. While ongoing updates and free add-on content can work to restore players’ faith, nothing builds goodwill more effectively than meeting expectations from the start.
As more games come out for both current and last-gen platforms, there is one promise that developers repeatedly break. While “your choices matter” is a strong contender, the most egregious lie new releases claim is that the game runs “surprisingly well on last-gen hardware.”
Time and time again, players purchase “next-gen” games for last-gen consoles only for the developers to leave them hanging with a product that’s barely functioning. Why would major companies keep creating half-baked ports for their new, high-profile games?
Money and stakeholder interests force development teams into toxic working environments and unethical business practices.
Ironically, Electronic Arts, infamous for its seedy inclusion of microtransactions, may be among the first to sell a next-gen game exclusively for next-gen consoles.
4) Fewer Ports Make Developers’ Lives Easier
Releasing a game on multiple platforms takes time, refinement, and no small amount of effort. The more platforms a game aims to release for, the longer and harder development teams have to work.
Scrambling to optimize five versions of Fallen Order 2 would inevitably damage each port’s performance should EA follow the lead of current releases.
In this day and age, it’s becoming ever more difficult to feel good about supporting companies that foster a culture centered around overworking their talent. By narrowing its target platforms and hopefully receiving a larger budget, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2‘s developers may enjoy less crunch.
Realistically, it’s doubtful that EA and Respawn’s working culture won’t leech into crunch territories. Still, having fewer platforms to service before and after launch should lessen developmental burdens.
5) Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 May Actually Release as a Finished Product
Games that release far below player expectations often fall off the radar. Alternatively, they may continue to receive frantic, desperate updates for years to come until the community finally stops caring.
Jedi: Fallen Order is not one of those games that came and went without leaving a mostly positive impression on players’ hearts and minds. With the light of its sequel beginning to shimmer on the horizon, it’s a matter of time before EA starts to make promises.
With everything considered, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order 2 may release as a fully-realized step above its predecessor. The developers have a more substantial chance at a successful launch by cutting the anchor on last-gen compatibility.
After a string of disappointments, maybe it’s time for players to accept that last-gen hardware is on its way out. There won’t be a console shortage forever. Then, when you start Fallen Order 2 on your PS5, you’ll be glad that it wasn’t released for PS4.
Use this link to save 75% on Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order until May 12! Catch up on all the action before the sequel’s 2023 release.
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