NAVIGATING THE SHADOWS OF THE GALAXY: THE INTRIGUING DYNAMICS OF STAR WARS OUTLAWS

A new Star Wars game set to release this year will use the massive scope of the Star Wars galaxy to tell a character-focused story in an open world for the first time in the Star Wars saga. Coming from the creators of the beloved assassinated rollerbladers of Ubisoft, Star Wars Outlaws will have players build a criminal empire on the fringes of the galaxy. From the perspective of a young criminal, Kay Vess, players will have agency and consequence as they build their own galaxy; every choice matters to them, and to the story.

THE GALAXY UNRAVELS: REPUTATION AT THE HEART OF THE COSMOS

A vast narrative they are crafting for players to experience, one that aims to weave complexity with innovation. At the heart of their vision for Star Wars Outlaws is a sophisticated reputation system that tracks the player’s actions and choices, giving an organic shape to the adventure as Kay sails the underworld beyond the reach of the Galactic Senate. Every time she makes a choice, her actions will reverberate through the game’s world, changing how the lustrous menagerie of characters reacts to her, and changing the course of her story.

KAY VESS: A VOYAGER IN A DIVIDED GALAXY

Tucked inside a relatively calm corner of the galaxy, it’s a tale of drive, strategy – and survival. Controlling Kay, players will traverse the tangled webs of influence that shape the world of crime, evading and mimicking enemies, while forging alliances and minding their morality. The galaxy itself is more than just a backdrop – it’s a living, breathing organism that reacts to the movements of more than just its stars.

ENGAGING THE GALAXY: THE FACTION SYSTEM

There are four large factions in the galaxy of Star Wars Outlaws, each stronghold of power, each with its own culture, leadership, and politics. The galaxy of Star Wars Outlaws is defined by its factions, and as a result, gameplay is defined in a way that is rare in games. The choices Kay makes about how to interact with factions – intelligently, violently, cunningly – directly reflects and shapes her status in the crime-riddled galaxy. Players are forced to walk a tightrope in order to minimise the chances of antagonising the wrong people: every action they take must be carefully assessed if it’s to be successful.

A GALAXY REIMAGINED: IMMERSION AND AUTHENTICITY

The philosophy of the game’s developers at Ubisoft is to break down the cinematic conventions that govern the Star Wars stories – and in doing so, create a rich, dynamic story for the player. In the eyes of Kay Vess, you’re not looking through a window at the galaxy’s seedy underbelly – you are living it. And the player’s connection to the galaxy is enhanced by a reputation and faction system that’s smarter than ever before.

THE ENDLESS GALAXIES: REPLAYABILITY AND CONSEQUENCES

‘Star Wars Outlaws’ is not only a vast galaxy of stars and planets, but a canvas of probabilities. The designers repeatedly stress the game’s emphasis on replayability, ensuring that every journey through the galaxy is different, a mosaic of decisions in which every choice leads down a different path, closing some possibilities while opening others. The galactic space is so rich that players are continually lured into new areas, as though they must chart every inch of a narrative landscape and risk its fate.

GLIDING TOWARDS THE HORIZON: ANTICIPATING THE GALAXY’S NEXT SAGA

The anticipation starts to mount as “Star Wars Outlaws” blasts off for the galaxy on 30 August 2024. The open-world, third-person shooter is due to debut on 30 August. Available courtesy of Lucasfilm Games on PlayStation 5, Windows, and Xbox Series X/S, players can venture into the darkest parts of Star Wars lore, discovering what it means to be an outlaw amid the steady sameness of the universe.

UNVEILING THE GALAXY: A COSMIC CONCLUSION

Fundamentally, Star Wars Outlaws aspires to be more than a game. It seeks to provide a view on the universe, to frame the galaxy, to provide not just a structure of rules and rewards and challenges for play but a vantage point from which to ponder the themes of power, loyalty and survival. Through its marriage of powerful, thematically rich mechanisms for action and story, it yearns to be more than just entertainment, a source of high-octane play, but also a catalyst for thought, a reason to consider where we might find ourselves as characters in the wider tapestry of the galaxy. As we await the release of Star Wars Outlaws, the galaxy promises adventure, intrigue, power played out among the stars.