Summary
- Star Wars Outlaws, an open-world game, set to release in 2024, will follow a new character named Kay Vess as she explores the criminal underworld of the galaxy.
- The game takes place between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, a time when crime syndicates thrived due to the Empire's focus on the rebellion.
- Players will encounter familiar locations like Tatooine and interact with iconic characters like Jabba the Hutt, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. The game offers a "virtual tourism" experience in various planets with meticulous attention to detail.
Star Wars Outlaws' San Diego Comic-Con revealed a lot of new and exciting information surrounding Ubisoft's open-world Star Wars title, including concept art, character details, voice actors, and more. The game is set to release sometime in 2024 and will see a brand-new character, Kay Vess, exploring the galaxy's criminal underworld, rather than focusing on the conflict between the Empire and the Rebels that is often covered around this point in the franchise's timeline.
Kay will find herself on the run from the Empire at some point throughout the game's story - with a Grand Theft Auto-esque Wanted meter indicating this during gameplay - but will be offered a way out through a daring heist. This heist is organized by another new character, Jaylen, who the developers have confirmed is not Kyle Katarn, despite much prior speculation due to their near-identical appearance and the Dark Forces protagonist's role in the pre-Disney canon around this time.
10 Star Wars Outlaws' SDCC Revealed New Concept Art
As is often the case with Comic-Con s, several pieces of concept art were showcased throughout. A new behind-the-scenes featurette - which was later shared on Ubisoft's official YouTube page - gave players a new look at some of the variety of different planets Kay would be visiting on her open-world journey in Star Wars Outlaws.
These artworks included both new and iconic landmarks from the Star Wars universe, and different terrain types from foliage-rich swamps, to vast deserts, to frozen mountain cities, and gave players a better idea of just how much range the game's map will have.
9 Why Outlaws Takes Place During The Original Trilogy
It had previously been confirmed that Star Wars Outlaws' story would take place between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, with Han Solo's Carbonite being revealed early in the game's reveal trailer. LucasFilm’s Matt Martin explained the reasoning behind choosing this period on the Star Wars timeline during the SDCC , and it seems to make perfect sense when telling a story surrounding the series' criminal underworld.
Although Kay may be on the run from the Empire, at this time, the Imperial forces are so focused on the growing rebellion that their attentions aren't on the other illegal activities taking place across the galaxy, and therefore, various crime syndicates are able to thrive. According to the developers, this is the perfect place in the timeline for them to tell Kay's story.
8 Star Wars Outlaws' Criminal Clans Were Revealed At SDCC
In previous Star Wars stories, there were five major crime syndicates active at this time, and the San Diego Comic-Con confirmed two of them would be returning in Star Wars Outlaws, alongside a completely new clan.
Kay will have run-ins with the Hutts and the Pykes throughout the game's campaign, with the latter shown in the previous Ubisoft Forward showcase, however, the Crimson Dawn, Black Sun, and Crymorah syndicates don't seem to be present. Instead, Outlaws will feature an entirely new clan, the Ashiga, who will be present on the frozen world of Kijimi.
7 Jabba Will Be Voiced By A Star Wars Regular
With the Hutts appearing prominently throughout Star Wars Outlaws, it was revealed that players will be able to take on missions for Jabba directly on Tatooine.
Jabba's voice actor was confirmed as Dee Bradley Baker, who is no stranger to the Star Wars universe, having voiced characters in other projects such as Young Jedi Adventures, The Bad Batch, Tales of the Jedi, and more. It was also previously revealed that the actor will provide the sounds of Nix, Kay's companion.
6 The SDCC Explained Why Outlaws Revisits Tatooine
Although some may argue that Tatooine has become overused by this point in the Star Wars franchise, despite it being one of the series' most iconic locations, the SDCC addressed its inclusion in Star Wars Outlaws.
Matt Martin stated that considering the story's roots in the criminal underworld, "Tatooine would have almost felt missing if we didn't do it". The Tatooine fatigue complaints had likely set in due to its use in other Star Wars media where it was unnecessary, but considering how the planet is famous for being a "hive of scum and villainy" it does make its inclusion almost compulsory in the kind of story Star Wars Outlaws is telling.
5 Star Wars Outlaws' Open World Allows "Virtual Tourism"
A huge part of Star Wars Outlaws' open-world appeal is the "virtual tourism" it provides for fans of the franchise. Outside of the game's completely new planet Toshara, the discussed visiting The Rise of Skywalker's Kijimi, and the aforementioned Tatooine, but stated that there are many more planets to explore.
One such example of this virtual tourism that the game's creative director, Julian Gerighty, spoke about was how players can go to the iconic Mos Eisley Cantina straight away upon visiting Tatooine, with an immense amount of detail crammed into each environment thanks to the collaboration with LucasFilm to create an authentic experience. This sounds very much like fans can expect a tourism-like experience often seen throughout Ubisoft's Assassin's Creed series.
4 The SDCC Provided More Details About Nix
It had previously been hinted that Kay's faithful companion, Nix, would share an almost symbiotic relationship with her throughout Star Wars Outlaws, being the only family Kay has ever known. This is reflected via the gameplay as the two travel the open-world side by side, and Nix can be used in conjunction with Kay to access new areas and unlock objectives.
Julian Gerighty confirmed that Nix is a merqual, a completely new creature created in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, and the SDCC revealed that he would also be voiced by Outlaws' new Jabba actor, Dee Bradley Baker.
3 ND-5's Past Was Discussed At SDCC
It was also revealed that Kay's other major ally, ND-5, is a veteran of the Clone Wars. This shouldn't come as too much of a surprise given the trenchcoat-wearing droid's BX Commando design, but should help to incorporate some stories from the Galaxy's past as he accompanies Kay on her mission. Apparently, ND-5 is a character of few words but he prods Kay a lot on her journey and is "fun to write for."
2 Trailblazer Is Full Of Secrets To Explore
Star Wars Outlaws is going to let players go directly from exploring planets on foot and on Kay's fully-customizable speeder bike straight to jumping into her ship, Trailblazer, and exploring the depths of space seamlessly.
New information about Trailblazer was shared at SDCC, with it acting as Kay's home throughout the game where she can interact with her allies, much like players could with the Stinger Mantis crew in the Star Wars: Jedi titles. It was also revealed that the ship dates back to the Republic era and will be heavily detailed with several secrets for players to uncover.
1 A Menacing Predator Lurks On Outlaws' New Planet, Toshara
One of the final teases of the SDCC was that among the various creatures Kay will encounter when visiting Star Wars Outlaws' completely new planet, Toshara, there will be a particularly "mind-blowing" predator. It was stated that those who have a fear of frogs may find this encounter with the creature particularly intense, hinting at a similar kind of boss battle to the infamously difficult Oggdo Bodgo and Spawn Of Oggdo ones in the Star Wars: Jedi games.
With this taking place later, could this mysterious creature be Oggdo the Third? If one thing seems certain, it's highly unlikely to be Turgle unless he's taken a massively dark turn after the events of Jedi: Survivor. Fans will have to wait until Star Wars Outlaws launches in 2024 to find out more.
