It may seem obvious, but video games are not being released as frequently as they once were. Perhaps production costs have skyrocketed, perhaps expectations for game volume have grown, or perhaps the global pandemic is still reeling after all these years. ......

"Star Wars Jedi: Survivor" is no such game, coming out on April 28 (yes, just in time for the closing of the doors), almost exactly three years after production began in March 2020.

That's a pretty tight window to finish a sequel that will likely be a much bigger game than its predecessor, back-to-back (opens in new tab). The other three recent sequels I have enjoyed, God of War: Ragnarök, Horizon: and Dying Light 2, took four, five, and seven years, respectively. What makes "Jedi Survivor" different?

At a recent hands-on event for "Jedi Survivor," Respawn senior producer Blair Brown told PC Gamer that the speed of "Jedi Survivor" is due to a number of factors, but the core team behind "Fallen Order" has banded together to Blair Brown told PC Gamer that the speed of "Jedi Survivor" was due to a number of factors, but it was helped by the fact that the core team of "Fallen Order" was able to come together and create what he called a "true sequel.

"With 'Fallen Order,' we had to build the game and build the team at the same time," he said. This time the team was ready." We knew the touchstones of the previous game. From the players' feedback and our own feedback, we had a very good sense of what we wanted to do better, what we wanted to pursue more deeply, what opportunities we had missed - customization, more (lightsaber) stances, more side exploration, things like that.

The focus was obvious in the four-hour demo of Jedi Survivor. It faithfully reproduces the skeleton of Fallen Order, but with a large number of notable improvements and new features, such as new Saber Stance and Force Abilities that essentially triple your combat options. It also helped, Brown says, that there were no major changes in technology or team composition,

"For the size, scope, depth, and quality of this game, I see my three years as a developer as quite shocking."

Design Director Jeff Magers is similarly impressed with the team's ability to come together and deliver during the most challenging time in the post-pandemic world.

"I don't know how we did it," Magers said with a laugh. 'But I'm very proud of my team. I think it all comes down to having a strong vision at the beginning and having a really great team."

Jedi's development cycle reminds me of the gaming industry 10-15 years ago, when most sequels landed in around three years (unless it was Call of Duty); in 2023, significant delays are the norm. We have become reflexively suspicious of advertised release dates until the game is actually playable.

"Jedi Survivor" is not a sign that other studios are being lazy, but it is an example of a sequel that largely follows its predecessor, except that it wants to be more and better. Recent sequels released in the past three years, such as "Hitman 3," "Assassin's Creed Valhalla," and "Forza Horizon 5," have this in common. Perhaps sometimes less is more.