Star Wars’ first open-world game is finally set to launch this summer after being stuck in development limbo for over three years. If you’re ready to live your best outlaw life, here’s everything you need to know about Star Wars Outlaws, coming soon to a console near you.
The state of Star Wars video games has been uncertain, to say the least. Respawn’s planned first-person shooter game, which would’ve given gamers the chance to play as a Mandalorian bounty hunter, was canceled in February, while the highly anticipated Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection was met with scathing reviews upon its release last month.
Still, that hasn’t stopped Lucasfilm from giving the go-ahead to brand new video games set in the galaxy far, far away, which partially makes sense given the positive reception to Respawn’s Jedi: Fallen Order and its 2023 sequel, Jedi: Survivor. Now, along with Zynga’s Star Wars: Hunters and the upcoming Star Wars Eclipse (which sounds like it may never get made, at this point), an official trailer has dropped for the next buzzy Star Wars/Massive Entertainment collaboration: Star Wars Outlaws.
Star Wars Outlaws was first announced by Massive Entertainment back in January 2021, meaning it’s been a long time coming for what will mark the franchise’s first-ever open-world game. Until now, details surrounding Outlaws have remained somewhat shrouded in mystery, with a cinematic trailer airing during the Xbox Games Showcase in June 2023 and an additional ten minutes of gameplay being screened to attendees of the Ubisoft Forward showcase just a day later. Other than that, zilch.
Lucasfilm unveils first Star Wars Outlaws trailer
At long last, the general public has finally been given a sneak peek into the upcoming game with a new teaser video, and it comes with an exciting update: Star Wars Outlaws will be released on August 30, 2024. Star Wars shared the first full-length story trailer for the open-world title on Tuesday morning, shedding new light on some of its characters.
From the looks of it, players are in for an action-packed adventure into the Star Wars galaxy’s criminal underbelly, with the story confirmed to take place between the events of Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back and Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi. And given its Original Trilogy backdrop, we’re bound to run into some familiar faces.
The protagonist of Star Wars Outlaws is Kay Vess (Humberly González), who, predictably, caused some male gamers to erupt into full-on hissy fits online. The horror! A rookie scoundrel hoping to make a better life for herself, Kay and her trusty merqaal sidekick, Nix (Dee Bradley Baker), will seemingly find themselves in big trouble with the Empire after a job goes wrong, landing Zerek Besh leader Sliro (Caolan Byrne) and gun-for-hire Vail on their tail.
Navid Khavari, who serves as the game’s narrative director, told StarWars.com that players will be able to relate to Kay Vess and her plight, saying, “I think we’ve all felt trapped at one time or another, and this is the spirit of being able to completely open up and have the world or the galaxy as your oyster. Completely free. Free to decide what to do, where to do it, and who to do it with. That’s the starting point, is that desire.”
Jaylen, Kay’s mentor and fellow outlaw, offers her the chance to earn her freedom if she can pull off an especially dangerous hit that will require her to break into Sliro’s mansion. Along the way, she’ll assemble a team, taking her across the Outer Rim to recruit some of the galaxy’s most reputable bounty hunters.
All confirmed Star Wars Outlaws characters
We know that González and Baker lent their voices to our two leads, but what about the rest of the Star Wars Outlaws cast? The game’s IMDb page lists Tristan D. Lalla, Kristina Sandev, and JayR Tinaco as voice actors (among others), though it isn’t clear who they will be playing yet. However, we know that Jay Rincon plays ND-5, a “battle-hardened” droid who joins Kay during her journey.
And it looks like players are in for some pretty major cameos. Not only will Jabba the Hutt and members of the Pyke syndicate (who played a significant role in The Book of Boba Fett) pop up in the story, but Han Solo (Harrison Ford) also makes a brief appearance in the trailer—frozen in carbonite, that is.
Another fan-favorite character from Solo: A Star Wars Story has also been confirmed to appear in-game: Lady Qi’ra, a.k.a., one of Crimson Dawn’s top lieutenants—oh, and Han Solo’s (Alden Ehrenreich) ex-girlfriend. Images featured in Game Informer Magazine’s latest cover story show Qi’ra wearing a disguise while talking to an unknown figure—probably Kay Vess if that hairdo is anything to go by.
In Solo, Qi’ra was portrayed by Emilia Clarke, but it remains uncertain if she’s reprising the role for Star Wars Outlaws. According to Game Informer editor Brian Shea (via X), the Game of Thrones alum won’t be returning to the galaxy far, far away. But hey, never say never, right?
For now, that’s everything we know about the main ensemble. But based on what we’ve seen so far, Star Wars Outlaws has the potential to be one of Lucasfilm Games’ best yet, and it’ll be interesting to see how this story fits into the larger Star Wars universe. And one thing’s for sure: dodging Death Troopers, krayt dragons, and the wrath of the Empire will certainly be no easy feat for Kay Vess and Co.
Star Wars Outlaws launches on August 30, 2024, for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC.
(featured image: Ubisoft)
Published: Apr 14, 2024 07:54 pm