THE HISTORY OF THE YOUNG JEDI CARD GAME

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Via Starwars.com:

WHILE SHORT-LIVED, DECIPHER’S PHANTOM MENACE-THEMED GAME REMAINS A FAN FAVORITE.

Continuing my jaunt through the varied history of Star Wars card games brings us to the first game connected to the prequel merchandising blitz. While Decipher was seeing plenty of success with their Star Wars Customizable Card Game (CCG), they weren’t content to rest on their laurels. With Pokémon on the scene and card games seeing a sudden deluge of new competitors, Decipher branched out with an all new Star Wars game: Young Jedi.

A New Beginning

Young Jedi released back in 1999, soon after the very first Star Wars Celebration event. Those in attendance had the opportunity to snag some exclusive cards, the first boosters, and get some hands-on time with the new card game before everyone else. This marked Decipher’s second officially licensed Star Wars card game. Unlike the original CCG, which focused on events from the original trilogy and some of the Expanded Universe material, Young Jedi put the focus entirely on Star Wars: The Phantom Menace.

Obviously, with a new Star Wars film coming to theaters, Decipher was anxious to capitalize on it and bring even more people into their gaming world. The basic idea behind Young Jedi was fairly simple: present a more accessible game to all age ranges. The first CCG hit in 1995 and did amazingly well, giving even Magic: The Gathering a run for their money. By the time Young Jedi came out, Pokemon was on the scene and already on its way to becoming a tabletop gaming juggernaut with kids and teens.

Decipher needed to compete and the hard truth is, the Star Wars CCG was WAY too complicated to tap into the younger market. While players lauded the CCG for the depth of strategy it offered, it also proved a fairly strong deterrent for newcomers and younger Star Wars fans; especially with a new film on the horizon to bring in new audiences. Thus, Young Jedi was born. The game took a far simpler approach to battles and play time was meant to be quick and easy to get into.

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