Ubisoft Massive recently debuted gameplay for Star Wars Outlaws, its open-world third-person shooter set between the events of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. It showcases Kay Vess with her companion Nix as they complete a job for Toshara’s broker before inevitably escaping and facing Imperials in space.
During the gameplay, Kay had the option to bribe an Imperial Officer. Not doing so resulted in her becoming “Wanted.” Speaking to GameSpot, game director Mathias Karlson and narrative director Navid Khavari discussed action and consequence and how core they are to the narrative (and the “endpoint”).
“Action and consequence are pervasive in the experience,” said Karlson. “The decisions you make and actions you take are going to have an impact on your relationship with the different factions, creating threats and opportunities. There will be an ebb and flow there, depending on the choices you make. [They also impact] the endpoint.”
Khavari adds, “It’s in that moment-to-moment decision-making where the narrative is going to react to what you’re doing. But also, we wanted to make sure this was a full journey for Kay from beginning to end. We wanted those anchor points – those emotional beats in the story – so it’s guaranteed you’re going to have that. But moment-to-moment, the story’s going to adapt.”
A crafting bench was visible in Kay’s ship, but Karlson and Khavari didn’t go into too many details regarding crafting. They did confirm that “growing in various ways is a core part [of the game],” and you can upgrade the ship, speeder, abilities and more. Kay can also add new modules and elements to her kit and blaster.
“Watching that growth across the campaign and gameplay, it feels like you’re with her doing it at the same time. I think that’s what’s awesome is to get that feeling that I’m actually becoming a full-fledged scoundrel,” said Khavari.
Star Wars Outlaws is out in 2024 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5 and PC via Ubisoft Connect. Stay tuned for more details and gameplay in the coming months before its release.
