Star Wars Outlaws is set to be the first open-world game within the popular franchise. This time, however, you will not experience the universe from the perspective of the Jedi, the Empire, and the Sith, but rather get a glimpse into the criminal underbelly.
What is Star Wars Outlaws about? Star Wars Outlaws is the first game with an open world in the Star Wars universe. The game from Ubisoft’s developer studio Massive Entertainment (Far Cry 3, The Division 1&2) is set to be released in 2024 for Xbox Series X|S, PS5, and PC.
This time, however, you do not take on the role of a Jedi or any other fighter on the “good side,” but rather dive into the criminal underworld.
You play as the young outlaw Kay Vess, an outlaw who is searching for work and must constantly fight for her survival in the universe. The fate of the universe does not seem to interest Kay much. After all, it is not more important than securing her next payment.
Developers are looking forward to an original villain story: In an interview with Kotaku, director Navid Khavari discusses the upcoming game.
He emphasizes that the developers are excited to finally create an original villain story in this universe. “There is something exciting about viewing this universe from the perspective of a villain like Kay, who has no experience with the Empire, Jedi, rebels, or the Sith,” Khavari reveals.
In Star Wars Outlaws, players will truly experience what it means to survive in the underworld. Kay is said to be the perfect protagonist for this. “This is a character who is just trying to get by – stealing, outsmarting, and deceiving the people,” Khavari describes the young villain.
Since Kay must rely on other things and allies without Jedi powers, she tries to navigate a world she does not fully understand yet. The developers hope that players will be able to identify with her a little.
The story about a villain in the underworld is expected to work well primarily because the developers decided on a specific time period in close consultation with Lucasfilm.
The year between “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” is said to be full of intergalactic crime, as the Empire reigns with an iron fist over the galaxy at this time.
“The rebels are on the defensive, and while everyone is involved in civil unrest and distracted, there is a vacuum that gives the underworld the perfect opportunity to grow and gain power out of sight of the Empire,” explains Khavari.
What can you expect from the gameplay? Khavari talks about the gameplay of Star Wars Outlaws. Especially how this will look in the first open-world game of the franchise is what interests the players.
Khavari describes the gameplay in his interview as three different types of experiences:
- You will venture into bustling cities and cantinas, full of crime and corrupt imperialists
- You will experience adventures in a large, mysterious, and impressive open world
- You can explore the galaxy on Kay’s ship
The developers particularly wanted to give players the freedom to travel through the galaxy according to their own ideas in order to convey the right feeling. “One of the core points of the villain fantasy is having your own ship, which is essentially home,” says Khavari. Typical of an outlaw, Kay is always on the move, and so you can simply travel between planets with your ship.
Khavari describes the possibilities you will have in the game: “If you stray from the prescribed path, your willingness to explore will also offer you some surprises. You might start a mission to steal an imperial shipment, but get distracted on your speeder and drift off into the Toshara desert to search for artifacts, and the game will reward you for your curiosity.”
An interesting question will also be how the criminal aspect affects gameplay. Khavari states that you can change Kay’s reputation with various quests. This will then influence the jobs offered and the course of the story.
You should encounter familiar faces, such as Jabba. With your decisions and actions, you determine your relationships with these characters.
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