Star Wars Outlaws

When Ubisoft officially announced a new game in the Star Wars universe at the beginning of 2021, it came as a big surprise, as another publisher had held the exclusive rights to the franchise's video games since 2013 - which also represented a strategic change of plan at Lucasfilm/Disney.

The game in question is Star Wars Outlaws, set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and Return of the Jedi (1983), and was unveiled at Xbox Showcase 2023. Development is helmed by Massive Entertainment, who proved last year with Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora, a game that was actually better than its reputation, that they can create first-class game adaptations of cinematic worlds. Creative Director Julian Gerighty (The Division and The Division 2) and Game Director Mathias Karlson (The Division 2) are also on the team. As usual for the French publisher, many other studios are involved, including Ubisoft Annecy, Bucharest, Chengdu, Milan, Montpellier, Paris, Redlynx, Shanghai and Stockholm.

The game will be powered by the proprietary Snowdrop engine, and although players will visit five different planets, including Tatooine, Akiva, Kijimi and Cantonica, as well as the new planet Toshara (developed by Massive in collaboration with Lucasfilm), procedural content generation has not been considered. Star Wars Outlaws is also less of Ubisoft's "typical open-world formula" and more of a classic action-adventure, but in an open world where the criminal underworld thrives as the Galactic Empire seeks the final defeat of the Rebel Alliance.

"One of the main motivations for exploration in Star Wars Outlaws is to find elusive experts scattered across the galaxy to help Kay learn new skills to survive in the underworld" - Game Director Mathias Karlson

Players take on the role of scoundrel Kay Vess, accompanied by her faithful companion Nix, as they attempt one of the biggest heists the Outer Rim has ever seen. They will travel across the galaxy to find the resources and crew to pull off the ultimate heist, but it won't be easy, especially when they encounter the Empire and other cartels. While doing so, Kay explores different planets, flies her own spaceship (Trailblazer) and takes on missions that can be completed in a different way. Kay can use stealth, the environment, traversal abilities and gadgets to gain the upper hand in combat, with Nix to distract and draw away enemies. Alternatively, she can use a blaster in combat, which also gives her adrenaline and a time slowing effect. However, the stealthy approach is more in line with the rogue fantasy à la Han Solo - or players can combine stealth and action.

As she steals valuable goods, infiltrates secret locations and outwits enemies, she must consider how her choices will affect her status with each of the four syndicates. A low reputation can lead to mercenaries pursuing Kay, while a high reputation grants access to locations, jobs and discounts. There is also a GTA-style "wanted" system. The more criminal things Kay does, the more Imperial troops will be looking for her. The Speeder Bike is used for longer distances on the planet's surface, while the Trailblazer is the vehicle of choice for travelling between planets. Enemies lurk in space too, and there are surprises and space stations to visit. As the game progresses, Kay and Nix's skills can be improved, but instead of skill points, there are special trainers to find and quests to complete. Equipment, speeders and trailblazers can also be upgraded. It all sounds like a down-to-earth adventure in a galaxy far, far away, without the Jedi or the Force that made Andor so special.

Ubisoft is releasing Star Wars Outlaws in several editions. The Gold Edition includes up to three days of Early Access, a Season Pass with two story DLCs, the exclusive Jabba's Gambit mission and a cosmetic pack, while the Ultimate Edition includes even more cosmetics and a digital art book. The publisher has also announced exclusive retail editions to be sold by Amazon, Media Markt and Saturn, GameStop (Germany), WoG (Switzerland) and Otto.

Star Wars Outlaws will be released on 30 August 2024 for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S - digitally and as a boxed retail version.

Unique Selling Points

• First Open World Adventure set in the Star Wars Universe
• Unique perspective as an Outlaw
• Superbly captured atmosphere

Conclusion

Fans have long waited for a Star Wars game like this! This open-world action adventure sets the bar high.

Order Tip

AAA