With EA’s hold of Star Wars video games gone as of last year, other developers have started to pick up the slack for EA’s lack of games during the exclusivity agreement. This year’s first release is Star Wars Outlaws, a single-player open-world created by Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment, creators of the Tom Clancy’s Division and Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora games. The game seems to have aspects from GTA and Assassin’s Creed, with its wanted system and stealth mechanics respectively, while putting a unique Star Wars twist on it.
The game was officially announced in 2021, and we got to see a 10-minute snippet of gameplay after Outlaws was revealed at the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase. Before now, we knew Outlaws followed smuggler Kay Vess and her animal companion Nix sometime between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Depending on your choices, whether you ally with certain characters or work for different intergalactic crime syndicates, your experience and the story will change. Luckily, at noon on April 9th, we were treated to a brand new story trailer for the game, along with the release date.
Just to get it out of the way for all who are only interested in the release date, you can play Star Wars Outlaws on August 30th, 2024 on PC (through Ubisoft currently, it is unknown whether it will be on Steam or the Epic Games Store anytime soon), PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. There will be 3 separate editions at launch with a pre-order bonus, the Kessel Runner Bonus Pack (cosmetics for your speeder and spaceship). The Standard Edition, retailing at $69.99, is just the base game. The Gold Edition, retailing at $109.99, will include the base game, 3-days early access, and the Season Pass (more on that later). Finally, the Ultimate Edition at $129.99 includes everything in the Gold Edition, cosmetics from the Rogue Infiltrator and Sabaac Shark bundles, and a digital art book.
The story trailer starts with a man (later known as Sliro) meeting up with representatives from three major criminal organizations in Star Wars, the Pykes, the Crimson Dawn, and the Hutts. He explains that with the Empire distracted by Leia Organa’s Rebellion, there are opportunities to be made. The trailer cuts to Kay Vess, “the Underworld’s new favorite scoundrel”, and someone known as Jaylen Vrax. Jaylen introduces Kay to a new crime syndicate known as Zerek Besh and their leader Sliro (the man from the beginning). Currently, Sliro wants Kay dead, but if she can rob Sliro and Zerek Besh of their fortune, she can buy her freedom. Kay Vess notes that the only way to pull off a grand heist such as this is with the right crew and the right ship. Kay Vess seems to have a BX-series droid named ND-5 during the game, but he’ll be tested by Sliro’s bounty hunter Vail.
There are many interesting things to take note of throughout the trailer. First are the major characters we will meet in-game. So far, we know Jabba the Hutt will play an important role, with our protagonist even talking directly to him. We also get to take a sneak at Han Solo, even if it is just him frozen in carbonite. As well, Qi’ra seems to hold importance in the Crimson Dawn. If you can’t recall who she is, that’s fair, as she was a character first shown in Solo: A Star Wars Story. There is also a Mon Calamari we talk to, who may or may not be important later on. We can also see many different Imperial forces in-game, including stormtroopers, Imperial officers, TIE Fighters and Interceptors, AT-STs, and Death Troopers. Given that our reputation can change with all the syndicates, expect to meet (or fight) members of the Hutt, Pyke, Crimson Dawn, and Zerek Besh crime families
Moving on to locations, we can expect to see a lot from Tatooine, with Kay Vess visiting Jabba’s Palace, slamming someone’s head in the Mos Eisley Cantina, and even running from a Krayt Dragon. There are 4 other confirmed planets in Outlaws, Cantonica, Kijimi, Akiva, and Toshara. Both Cantonica and Kijimi have appeared on screen before, being the casino planet that Finn and Rose Tico visit in The Last Jedi and the mountain planet present in The Rise of Skywalker respectively. Akiva is a pre-established planet home to many jungles and even a droid factory, but it has only appeared in the novel Star Wars: Aftermath, and briefly in Aftermath’s sequel Empire’s End and Resistance Reborn. Toshara, meanwhile, is original to Outlaws, being Kay Vess’ birth planet and seemingly our hub world (a main location you will return to lots in a video game). You’ll also have Kay’s ship and some form of Imperial cruiser.
Back to the real world, Star Wars Outlaws will feature a Season Pass, confirming we will get major content post-launch for the game unlike Jedi: Fallen Order and its sequel Jedi: Survivor. According to Ubisoft’s website, the Season Pass will get you the Kessel Runner Character Pack, featuring a Han Solo-like outfit for Kay and a Chewbacca look for her pet Nix. On launch, you’ll also get an extra mission known as Jabba’s Gambit, where “ND-5 owes Jabba a debt from years ago, and he has come to collect…” Ubisoft also states there will be 2 expansions that arrive after launch, including stories to enjoy, missions to complete, and areas to explore.
