Ubisoft reveals Star Wars: Outlaws, the first open-world Star Wars game

Massive Entertainment’s highly anticipated Star Wars title has been revealed as Star Wars: Outlaws and will be arriving in 2024 across PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S.

The details:

• Ubisoft teased the game with a short CGI teaser trailer featuring the protagonist, "cunning scoundrel" Kay Vess, and her companion Nix as they travel the galaxy during Xbox Game Showcase. Despite the lack of gameplay, it was clear that all of the classic Star Wars elements, such as Stormtroopers, TIE Fighters, Star Destroyers, Speeders, and a diverse range of species, would be present. Between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi, Kay and Nix attempt to pull off "one of the greatest heists the Outer Rim has ever seen.”
• Ubisoft followed up the teaser with a ten-minute gameplay demo at Ubisoft Forward, giving us an in-depth look at the combat system in place for the first open-world Star Wars game. Kay appears to rely heavily on cover shooter gameplay in Outlaws, popping in and out of various objects in the world to take down opponents with her blaster. Nix is also involved in combat, with the player able to direct the sidekick to attack or distract enemies, as well as retrieve valuable items found throughout the world.
• The gameplay video also demonstrated the dialogue system, as in one scene, Kay is given the option to bribe an Imperial agent, which she declines. This choice then allows us to see the wanted system in action, in which the Empire begins pursuing the player with varying degrees of power as their actions throughout the game gain more infamy. The game's developers have confirmed that both Kay and her blaster will be improved throughout the game, with modules allowing the blaster to gain new features to use in specific situations.
• Back in the first half of the demo, we get a look at the driving mechanics of the game with a speeder chase in which Kay enters slow motion to fire several blaster shots at her enemies, similar to Fallout's VATS system. Outlaws will include not only on-ground driving but also space combat, with Kay jumping into her starship to take down some TIE Fighters before blasting off with the ship's hyperdrive.

Ubisoft is currently hiring for a variety of Outlaws-related positions. The available roles at Massive Entertainment and its other studios can be found here.

More upcoming games:

• Fable, Playground Games' reboot of the beloved Xbox franchise, has received a new trailer starring Richard Ayoade, giving us our first look at the new world of Albion with the series' trademark British humor. Playground Games has not provided a release date, so it could be a while before we learn more.
• Phantom Liberty, the new expansion for Cyberpunk 2077, will not only add new content but will also rework the base game's systems, such as skill trees, AI, and vehicular combat. It will be available for $30 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC on September 6, with no last-generation versions due to limitations.