Massive Entertainment's open-world game, Star Wars Outlaws was officially revealed at the June 2023 Xbox Showcase and had an extended appearance at the Ubisoft Forward event the following day. The cinematic trailer showed an interesting, new kind of Star Wars story in gaming that isn't centered around Rebels, Jedi, or the Empire, but instead, someone just trying to survive in the middle of the galactic conflict on the Outer Rim.
After the explorable worlds of Respawn Entertainment's acclaimed Jedi: Fallen Order and Jedi: Survivor, an open-world Star Wars title felt like the next step in of truly traversing the vast galaxy. Ubisoft is known for its huge open-world franchises such as Assassin's Creed and Far Cry, and while there were some concerns raised surrounding the kind of repetitive side activities and the sheer number of collectibles seen in these games, the studio's years of experience with this type of title makes it a natural choice for LucasArts to partner with to embark upon Star Wars' first fully open-world venture.
Star Wars Outlaws Is Aiming For a 2024 Release
Ubisoft has set a tentative release date of 2024 for Star Wars Outlaws. From what has been revealed so far, the game appears to be rather polished from its Ubisoft Forward gameplay, so hopefully, it will arrive earlier in the year, rather than later.
Every Platform Star Wars Outlaws Will Be On
Despite being revealed during an Xbox Games Showcase, Star Wars Outlaws will be a multi-platform release. An official press release from Ubisoft confirmed that Star Wars Outlaws will be coming to PS5, Xbox Series S/X, and PC (via. Ubisoft's own launcher, Ubisoft Connect), making it a current-gen exclusive.
Star Wars Outlaws Story Details - Setting, Characters, Plot
Star Wars Outlaws takes place sometime between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, as is evident by the appearance of Han Solo trapped in Carbonite in the game's reveal trailer. Its story follows Kay Vess, a cunning scoundrel, and thief, who initially seems to be on the run with a bounty on her back. In an effort to gain her freedom and start a new life, Kay embarks upon a galaxy-spanning adventure to attempt one of the biggest heists the Outer Rim has ever seen.
Kay's faithful Axolotl companion, Nix, will be at her side throughout the entire game, with Ubisoft calling the duo's relationship "symbiotic". Nix will be an asset to Star Wars Outlaws' gameplay, reaching hidden secrets and hard-to-access areas. Kay and Nix will also be ed by a battle-hardened, trenchcoat-wearing BX Commando droid called ND-5, as well as a smuggler-type character called Jaylen, who bears a striking resemblance to Star Wars: Dark Forces' Kyle Katarn and seems to be the mastermind behind the heist that will grant Kay her freedom.
Kay and Nix will encounter several criminal syndicates from across the Star Wars universe, with the Pykes being the main example in the footage that has been shown. Considering the glimpse of Han Solo's Carbonite, it's likely that Kay may end up involved with the Hutts, and the Crimson Dawn too, given their connection to it around this time. Reputation seems to be key to Kay's story, and she will have to navigate complex relationships with all of them, escalating or defusing situations as she goes.
Star Wars Outlaws Gameplay, Combat, & Exploration Details
Ubisoft has touted Star Wars Outlaws as "the first open-world Star Wars game", implying that it will be much larger than the hub-type worlds of recent Star Wars titles such as Jedi: Fallen Order and its sequel Jedi: Survivor. Previous rumors indicated that Star Wars Outlaws would let players explore a huge, seamless open-world map that was akin to that of No Man’s Sky. Therefore, many presumed that it would be possible that Kay Vess will be going from ground-based combat seamlessly into large-scale space exploration in her ship, a feature that was once promised for the original Star Wars Battlefront 3 back in 2006, but had yet to be implemented into any game since its cancelation.
The 10-minute gameplay sequence shown at the June 2023 Ubisoft Forward event confirmed that this would, in fact, be the case as players will travel across the galaxy to distinct locations, both iconic and new, from the desert landscapes of Tatooine to the humid jungles of Akiva, to the windswept savannah of Toshara. On the ground, Kay will explore bustling cities and cantinas, and race across sprawling outdoor landscapes on her speeder, before taking off in her ship the Trailblazer through the vast wilds of space.
The exclusive look utilized stealth gameplay as Kay used an array of gadgets and her companion Nix to navigate an enemy compound in order to steal an artifact for the Pyke crime syndicate. Of course, it wasn't long before a full shootout took place in which Kay switches between multiple types of blasters and melee takedowns as she moves between cover and climbable items to escape her pursuers.
Kay seems to be a skilled shooter and driver, as she can be seen using a slow-motion "Dead Eye" attack, akin to that of Red Dead Redemption during a Speeder chase to take out multiple enemies. After a sequence at Jaunta's Hope in which she poorly negotiates with her client and angers an Imperial officer in the process, setting off a Grand Theft Auto-esque "Wanted" system, Kay then escapes the planet and engages in a dogfight with Imperial TIE fighters before triggering the ship's Hyperdrive and blasting across the galaxy to escape, completing the mission.
Fans have long been hoping for an open-world Star Wars title that lets them seamlessly explore the wider galaxy, and from what's been seen so far, Star Wars Outlaws looks set to deliver. With an original storyline that seems to be focusing on the opportunities within the criminal underworld, rather than saving the galaxy it definitely seems to be setting itself apart from the many Star Wars titles that came before it and should offer players a new and unique Star Wars experience when it launches in 2024.
