Star Wars Fail? Return of the Jedi Missing From The NES Library

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RoXolid Productions

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Published on May 22, 2025 10:37:40 PM ● Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqxAsPu3z6c

Game:

Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1994)

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Back in the 1980s, there was an amazing cultural phenomenon. Two of them actually. The first was Star Wars: A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi. The second was the original Nintendo Entertainment System. It was only a matter of time before these 2 powerhouses joined forces and we got Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back on the NES Library. In the late 80s and early 90s, we got word that the 16-bit follow-up to the NES, the Super Nintendo, was coming, and the Star Wars games would get ported to the SNES. But the weird thing is the game we never got. Is it a fail that Return of the Jedi never came to the NES?

By the time a dedicated "Return of the Jedi" game was being developed by LucasArts and Sculptured Software, the NES's successor, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), was already on the market and gaining traction. "Super Star Wars: Return of the Jedi" was released for the SNES in 1994, along with Game Boy and Game Gear ports in 1995. The NES was winding down its commercial viability by this point, but you gotta wonder if the Game Boy variant couldn't have been ported to the NES.

The SNES offered significantly more power and capabilities than the NES, allowing for more detailed graphics, larger sprites, better sound, and more complex gameplay. Developers were naturally shifting their focus to the newer hardware to create more immersive and faithful adaptations of the films. The "Super Star Wars" trilogy on SNES was known for its impressive visuals and sound for the time.

When we talk about these games coming out late in the NES lifecycle, how late do we mean? Well, Star Wars came out in 1991 and was based on A New Hope. Only a year later, The Empire Strikes Back was released in 1992. For comparison, the SNES hit US shelves in September of 1991.

In essence, "Return of the Jedi" skipped the NES because the gaming landscape had moved on to more powerful consoles by the time a dedicated game for that film was being developed.

Would you liked to have gotten the full trilogy on the NES? Share your thoughts in the comments.

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