Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order may have not featured lightsaber combat due to how LucasFilm is protective of the Jedi.
Speaking during the AIAS Game Maker podcast, game director Stigg Asmussen revealed that LucasFilm wasn't comfortable with Respawn using Jedi in the game.
I pitched, ‘Hey what if we do a game about Jedi and Force powers, and they were not super comfortable with that. They threw it back and said, ‘What about blasters and bounty hunters?’ That’s not the background of the team we’ve built; you might as well ask me and us to start building a racing game at this point. I don’t think anybody’s going to be happy with the results of that.
LucasFilm's stance on using Jedi made the team find a middle-ground of sorts, which allowed them to introduce Cal Kestis as a Padawan who had to earn the right to be called a Jedi.
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order is among the best Star Wars games released in recent years. Respawn's action-adventure title doesn't revolutionize the genre, but it is still a very enjoyable experience for fans of the franchise.
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order feels like a familiar experience, and this is both its main strength and major weakness. All of the elements of the game are well-crafted, but they feel quite derivative, as there is not a single gameplay mechanic that hasn't been more or less lifted from a major franchise. Despite the lack of innovation, the game developed by Respawn is one of the best single-player games released in recent times and a must-buy for any Star Wars fan. Even those with only a passing interest in the series will find plenty to like here, granted they are not expecting to play a revolutionary title.
Star Wars Jedi Fallen Order is now available on PC, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.