Upon the reveal of , reactions were mixed. On the one hand, it was a new, single-player adventure in the Star Wars universe from Respawn Entertainment. On the other hand, it looked like a derivative action game reliant on the Star Wars brand coming from none other than EA. However, the game is finally here, and the game's success could either cement EA as the wrong company for the job of publishing Star Wars games, or it could prove the publisher is capable of saving the Star Wars video game brand for the sake of itself, Star Wars, and fans.
It seems that all of EA's Star Wars efforts have been largely ill-received. Starting with BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic, EA had set a bad precedent, as fans wanted something closer to Knights of the Old Republic. In 2015, EA published Star Wars Battlefront and Star Wars: Galaxy of Heroes. Both were fairly mediocre. Star Wars Battlefront actually showed a lot of promise but proved to be an underwhelming experience due to the game's initial lack of content.
Then, EA brought us Star Wars Battlefront II in 2017, which proved to be one of the company's biggest debacles in recent times. With microtransactions galore, the game truly soured fans' perception of EA's handling of the Star Wars brand and made them question and feel hesitant toward anything that would come after Star Wars-wise. While DICE has reworked Battlefront II into a better game, EA's initial greed tarnished the name for the mainstream crowd. Many wrote it off and placed their hopes in Fallen Order.
Thus far, the game has performed fairly solidly with critics, now with an on Metacritic. While the game has been slammed with complaints of technical issues, it has been praised as an overall good action game with fun lightsaber and Force mechanics. So, in terms of critics, the Star Wars game brand may have well been saved from extinction. Although, it's the public perception that will also play a large role in EA's future with Star Wars.
It's a shame that EA holds the reputation it does with Star Wars. If not for the Battlefront II fiasco, gamers might have a bit more trust in the comapny, and the trust could be restored after Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order. Now, it's simply in the hands of Fallen Order to determine EA's future with the franchise.