Updating…

Yesterday Ubisoft debuted a trailer for Star Wars: Outlaws, the open-world video game being developed by Massive Entertainment, after years of anticipation, at the Xbox and Bethesda Showcase. Today during their own event, Ubisoft Forward, Ubisoft have shared gameplay footage of the upcoming title.

Before we continue with Outlaws news, I’d just like to share that you can now support my work in two ways. Firstly it’s via my newly created Patreon page which has a single tier at this time simply to support my work. Secondly you can tip me with a simple one off payment on my Ko-Fi page or you can choose to support my work monthly on the platform. I’d truly appreciate it if you decided to support my work, but no pressure, I know things are pretty tough out here. Anyway, back to the reason you came here – the news!

During the Ubisoft event, Outlaws was left to the very end of the presentation. Not much was said regarding Outlaws in the build up to the footage reveal, with Ubisoft adopting a show don’t tell method, debuting a whopping ten minute gameplay trailer to everybody’s excitement.

The footage shown mostly takes place on Tishara (unsure of spelling), a new and original planet created by Massive Entertainment for Outlaws, as we see Kay Vess and her companion, Nix, attempting to sneak out of an area operated by one of the crime syndicates present on the planet. As Kay sneaks around, it’s revealed players can use Nix to interact with world, causing distractions and creating opportunities to help Kay navigate the area going undetected. Unfortunately Kay and Nix get spotted and have to fight their way out of the area, with the player switching between blasters to take out the enemies. With the odds stacked against her, Kay races out from the crime syndicates building and hops onto a speeder bike, which showed viewers how vehicles are controlled and that combat can take place on a speeder bike, as time slows down while Kay lines up her shots on two goons chasing her down.

Kay and Nix meet with ND-5, an ally commando droid, at a nearby cantina located in the town of Jaunta’s Hope. As Kay arrives in the area, text on screen reveals that Kay’s reputation with the Pyke Syndicate has lowered – which points towards a reputation system existing in Outlaws, this is an assumption on my part, but I assume your reputation with the various crime syndicates featured in the game increases and decreases depending on how many missions you do and successfully complete for each faction.

In the cantina, Kay meets with a broker name Donka (unsure of spelling), a Mon Calamari who’s seemingly working with the Empire, as an unknown Imperial officer is sat with the Mon Cal watching a fight on a hologram. It’s revealed that the mission we witnessed was a job ordered by Donka, with Kay and Nix handing over an item they stole from a rival crime syndicate – likely the Pykes considering Kay’s reputation with the organisation lowered. The mysterious Imperial officer implies that Kay is a threat to the Empire as she’s been stealing contraband. An option appears on screen allowing the user to make a choice to bribe the officer, with the footage opted not to. It’s unknown if this action, or more like it in the game will have much of an impact of the story being told in Outlaws, or if ultimately the outcome is always the same. The officer demands Kay pay her tax, but our hero pulls a blaster on the officer and exits the cantina, as the Imperial officer contacts the Empire, telling Kay Vess that she won’t make it off the planet alive.

The screen flashes red with a wanted sign as our hero makes her way to her ship. A quick cutscene ensues showing Kay and Nix jetting off of the planet and into space, where the player is once again able to take control. It’s to be noted that Outlaws seemingly does not feature seamless ground to space gameplay, which is to be expected. Once in space, we see gameplay footage of Kay blasting TIE fighters as she manoeuvre’s around debris and shattered starcruisers. Once free from the fight, Kay jumps to light-speed and escapes the Empire.

The footage flashes into more cinematic moments with snippets of gameplay, showing fun moments between Kay, Nix and ND-5, along with planets featured in the game including Tatooine (of course) and Kijimi, a planet featured in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

The official synopsis of Star Wars: Outlaws is as follows:

Experience the first-ever open-world Star Wars game, set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Explore distinct planets across the galaxy, both iconic and new. Risk it all as Kay Vess, a scoundrel seeking freedom and the means to start a new life, along with her companion Nix. Fight, steal, and outwit your way through the galaxy’s crime syndicates as you join the galaxy’s most wanted.

If you’re willing to take the risk, the galaxy is full of opportunity

• Discover a Galaxy of Opportunity – Explore distinct planets with bustling cities and cantinas before racing across sprawling outdoor landscapes on your speeder. Each planet brings new adventures, unique challenges, and enticing rewards if you’re willing to take the risk.
• Experience an Original Scoundrel Story – Live the high-stakes lifestyle of an outlaw. With Nix by your side, turn any situation to your advantage: fight with your blaster, overcome with stealth and gadgets, or find the right moments to distract foes and gain the upper hand.
• Embark on High-Stakes Missions – Take on high-risk, high-reward missions from the galaxy’s crime syndicates. Steal valuable goods, infiltrate secret locations, and outwit enemies as one of the galaxy’s most wanted. Every choice you make influences your ever-changing reputation.

Star Wars: Outlaws is being developed by Massive Entertainment, the developers behind Tom Clancy’s The Division franchise and the upcoming Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora (due December 7th),a video game based on the extremely successful franchise created by James Cameron. Outlaws is being directed by Julian Gerighty, who’s directed the past Ubisoft titles The Division 2 and The Crew, with Outlaws lead writer being Nikki Foy, known for writing on Far Cry 6 and Watch Dogs: Legion, and Navid Khavari, acting as lead narrative director, who who previously worked on Far Cry 4, 5 and 6 along with The Division.

Star Wars: Outlaws will release in 2024 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

Thank you for reading the article and if you enjoyed your read, or if you’re a regular reader of Bespin Bulletin then I kindly ask if you’d consider showing your support and appreciation by tipping me via my Ko-Fi page here, each tip is deeply appreciated or supporting my work via my newly launched Patreon page here. You can also listen to the latest episode of our podcast, BOB The Podcast, at the bottom of this page and on all good podcast services (new episodes release on Thursdays), where you can also sign up to a mailing list to receive and email each time I publish a new article and you if you’re not already doing so, follow me on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, TikTok, Hive, and Mastodon.