27 January 2026

Jedi 3 Rumors Spark Controversy, Divide the Fanbase

By newsgame

New rumors have begun to swirl around the eventual release of Star Wars Jedi 3, with rumors claiming that “eventual” release is much, much sooner than you may think. Developer Respawn Entertainment and Publisher EA have confirmed that the as-of-yet untitled Star Wars Jedi 3 game is in development, but there are no other concrete details. Recent rumors shared by a popular industry figure, however, have kickstarted a debate of sorts.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the first game, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, released in 2019, while Star Wars Jedi: Survivor released in 2023. Assuming that the same four-year development period is used for the threequel, it’s likely the third game comes out sometime in 2027. But recent rumors point toward a release in the first-half of 2026, which among other claims, has split the fanbase to a degree.

New Star Wars Jedi 3 Rumors

Shared by known industry figure Idle Sloth, Star Wars Jedi 3 will release in the first half of 2026 (meaning there’s about five months left for marketing and release). They continue to suggest that it will be less linear with galactic hubs for a “more immersive exploration experience.” Furthermore, it is said to be a darker, more mature story with antagonists being a new faction with ties to the Force but unrelated to the Empire. It is also said to expand the Force ability list from Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, adding that combat is “heavier and more reactive.”

Cal Kestis using the Force in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor

Why A Lot of Fans Don’t Believe These Rumors

To wrap things up, Idle Sloth says the 2026 release is because of EA’s patterns, Respawn’s team growth, and feedback from Jedi: Survivor. And despite the apparent early 2026 release date, there’s caution around the title due to “fan expectations, corporate oversight, and EA’s past issues with monetization.” The response to these rumors is quite telling. By and large, the fandom is split around the claims of the more open-world Star Wars experience, the removal of the Empire, and the changes to combat. Largely, however, many point out that a 2026 release is unlikely.

Many would welcome a shorter marketing-to-release window, but they doubt that it would be the case. Given the development timeline of these Star Wars games, 2027 still makes the most sense and many cast doubt on it releasing this year. Not to mention, there are already two other Star Wars games with confirmed 2026 release dates: Star Wars: Zero Company (made by Bit Reactor in collaboration with Respawn Entertainment) and Star Wars: Galactic Racer. Three is not impossible, but does feel unlikely, given that at least of a portion of Respawn’s developers are working on Zero Company as well.

Why Some Fans Do Believe These Rumors

Others think there’s some possible legitimacy to the claim. Not only do they welcome the shorter window, because most games are announced years before release, but there’s also the fact that Respawn Entertainment recently canceled some projects amid industry layoffs. This would allow Respawn, theoretically, to put more resources into the development of both Zero Company and Jedi 3. It’s not necessarily unheard of for a single studio to release multiple games in a year, with Obsidian Entertainment releasing 3 in 2025 and Playground Games releasing 2 in 2026, but it is rare.

Overall, as with all rumors, this should be taken with a grain of salt. Perhaps the full container of salt. When asked by popular content creator JorRaptor for Idle Sloth’s source, he was met with silence from the Twitter user. Stranger things have happened, but it would seem that The Force would need serious alignment for these rumors to be proven true.