Star Wars Outlaws Reveals Its ‘Deeply Immersive’ Open World Experience
Star Wars Outlaws promises players a more immersive look at the Outer Rim and its many criminal factions through exploration and side quests.
The developers behind the upcoming Star Wars Outlaws are pulling back the curtain on the game’s immersive open-world experience, which will take players to both old and new locations in the Galaxy Far, Far, Away. Ubisoft and Massive Entertainment first announced its sandbox Star Wars game way back in 2021, drawing inspiration from the latter’s Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora to deliver a gritty tale of the underworld set between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Said tale is centered around Kay Vess, an aspiring outlaw looking to make a name for herself among the Star Wars galaxy’s criminal element.
To do so, Kay will have to journey to various planets in the seedy Outer Rim territory, and Star Wars Outlaws is promising to let players explore a mix of classic Star Wars worlds and brand-new locations. In addition to Tatooine, the home of Star Wars protagonist Luke Skywalker and the nefarious Jabba the Hutt, Outlaws will include planets like Cantonica, the gambling hub for the wealthy first seen in The Last Jedi, Kijimi, a frigid spice runner den that appeared in The Rise of Skywalker, Akiva, a jungle world fans might recognize from several Star Wars novels, and Toshara, a brand-new moon inspired by the African savanna.
Star Wars Outlaws Narrative Director Navid Khavari recently sat down with Kotaku to discuss various elements of the upcoming open-world adventure, including how his team planned to deliver a deeply immersive experience set in the Galaxy Far, Far, Away. According to him, Outlaws‘ gameplay will consist of three distinct types of environments. First, there are cities and other highly populated areas, which are filled with criminal syndicates and corrupt Imperials that Kay can fight or associate with. Then comes the vast, open-world areas outside them that Kay explores either on foot or using vehicles like her speeder. Finally, there is space, which Star Wars Outlaws players can navigate aboard Kay’s personal starship.
Khavari went on to reveal that Kay’s ship, dubbed “The Trailblazer,” will essentially serve as the player’s primary base of operations and that the ability to travel the galaxy as the player sees fit is a core aspect of Star Wars Outlaws. Out in space, players will be free to take detours from Outlaws’ main plot to perform side quests or uncover hidden secrets. Khavari says that players can gain favor within the Outer Rim by performing tasks for its various criminal leaders, including Star Wars’ infamous gangster Jabba the Hutt. Kay will have a different profile with each one, which is shaped by how she interacts with them.
Star Wars Outlaws will be an open-world sandbox game in the style of previous Ubisoft titles like Massive’s own Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora set in the beloved Star Wars universe. This means that Outlaws has a chance to give fans a more immersive gameplay experience, something that the game’s creators seem to have taken to heart while crafting its exploration and side quest mechanics. Only time will tell if Star Wars Outlaws delivers on its potential when it launches sometime later this year.
