Respawn Entertainment reveals that it was impossible to make an old-gen console port for Star Wars Jedi Survivor.
According to the latest issue of Play Magazine (Issue 24, March 2023), Game Director Asmussen explained the reason for Star Wars Jedi Survivor being next-gen and PC only. It was due to the numerous additions to the game sequel that it made it difficult for developers to make a PS4 or Xbox One version of it.
Asmussen said that the game has larger environments, higher enemy counts, and massively improved visuals. It was just not feasible to put the game on older consoles. It would not handle the resources that the game would have when it launches on it and it would buckle up right away.
“[New consoles] allow us to create much larger maps with more detail, greater density, greater density, more enemy/NPC variety, and overall fidelity… we didn’t want to break what we did in the first game… we wanted to evolve/enhance the experience.”
Various new features have been added to the game which needs more resources to make it happen. Cal Kestis, the protagonist of the series, can now ride animals, which means more animations. There is also quick travel, which needs SSD power that is available on PS5 and Xbox Series consoles.
“We will feature both fast travel and rideable creatures to help players quickly get from point A to B, and back to A,” Asmussen explained. “The fast-travel is point to point, and the rideable creatures offer a way to quickly negotiate between points and explore what is in between.”
Star Wars Jedi Survivor launches on April 28, 2023 on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S.