Thanksgiving is largely considered a time for reminding oneself of the good things in one’s life. We in the gaming community, for example, can give thanks for all of the interesting games and interesting controversies 2019 has given us. That said, Thanksgiving can bring with it its own unique frustrations, as fans of the recently-released Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order can now attest.
During last week’s big holiday, a new ad for EA and Respawn Entertainment’s return to the glory days of single-player story-based Star Wars games aired on TV. And for the first half of the 30-second ad, it seems like a harmless enough commercial, showing off non-specific pieces of action designed to entice Star Wars fans and get them thinking about getting Fallen Order at a Black Friday discount.
So far, so good. But then the trailer, which has since been uploaded to the official Xbox YouTube channel, caps off with a glimpse at a very specific moment in the game, one that happens near the end of the adventure. Fans who’ve already reached Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order’s ending will probably know what we’re alluding to, but for those who haven’t, consider this the last chance to turn back before hitting MAJOR STORY SPOILERS, because the rest of this article is going to explain why people are upset.
So yes, as the trailer reveals, Darth Vader shows up in Fallen Order. That might not sound much like a spoiler, given how often Vader shows up in Star Wars spinoffs, and the fact that Respawn had hinted at the possibility of it prior to the game's launch. Nevertheless, his appearance during the game's final mission still manages to be a neat surprise in a game that doesn't rely too heavily on existing canon.
That such a surprise was revealed in an ad on a day with one of the highest amounts of TV traffic has left a lot of people angered, including folks at Respawn, according to Kotaku. It’s understandable that they’re mad, seeing Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order has only been out for just over two weeks. A lot of people interested in the game haven’t had a chance to play the game at all, let alone had enough time to reach the ending on their own.
And the thing is, more than many other franchises, Star Wars is something most people enjoy going into as blind as possible, whether it be a new movie, TV show, or game. That’s why the trailers and commercials for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker have taken care to avoid showing any of the impending movie’s key moments. That care towards avoiding spoilers there is what makes the carelessness here so frustrating for fans who would’ve preferred to experience Fallen Order’s surprise cameo firsthand.
Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order is out for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Kotaku