Star Wars Jedi: Survivor got made so quick because Respawn wasn't afraid to fail

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Respawn was quick to cut features if they weren't working

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor PS5 screenshot showing Cal using his lightsaber to kill a monster
(Image credit: Respawn)

Star Wars Jedi: Survivor was developed so quickly because Respawn believed "it's ok to fail."

Bloomberg interviewed Star Wars Jedi: Survivor director Stig Asmussen, in which the game director revealed it took just three and a half years to make the Fallen Order sequel. Asmussen attributed Survivor's rapid development to the team being willing to quickly cut features whenever necessary. 

"We want to be ambitious but we don’t want to get in a position where we’re kind of setting ourselves up to not hit all our marks," Asmussen said in the Bloomberg interview. "Our philosophy is: 'It’s OK to fail, but fail fast, fail early,'" the Jedi: Survivor game director continued.

What's even more impressive about Star Wars Jedi: Survivor's development time is that it was chiefly done during the COVID-19 pandemic. Asmussen said Respawn was actually "somewhat fortunate" in that the sequel had only just began development in late 2019, meaning the development team pivoted to meetings and discussions where anyone could ask questions or "share grievances." 

Three and a half years is a stunning time for a game to be developed, even if, like Asmussen says, Jedi: Survivor is a sequel. Other games in the next few months, like Final Fantasy 16 and The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom have each been in development for at least five years, to illustrate just how impressive Respawn's development cycle really is.

Check out our Star Wars Jedi: Survivor review for our full thoughts on Respawn's seriously impressive sequel.

Hirun Cryer
Hirun Cryer
Freelance Writer

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.