Ever since acquiring the Star Wars franchise from creator George Lucas, new ownership group Disney has struggled to make the best use of the license. But one venue that has worked for Disney is gaming, and the new title Star Wars Outlaws could further that revitalizing effect.
Opinions have been mixed about almost every Star Wars release since Disney took over the brand. The new trilogy of Skywalker films is the best example of this effect, with each receiving a polarizing response from audiences. Disney eventually responded to this varying response by slowing down its production of Star Wars films. But what hasn’t slowed is the production of Star Wars shows and games.
The prevalence of shows is easy to explain. Disney has a constant need to create new content for its Disney Plus streaming service. Like many modern media giants, Disney wants to secure its positioning as a streaming service provider.
The games are another animal, however. The video game industry has grown to be as big and influential as the film industry. And the response to Star Wars games has been much kinder than the response to the franchise’s recent films.
The Star Wars Jedi series has been a great example of this. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order was released in 2019 to a largely positive response from critics and fans alike. Star Wars Jedi: Outcast followed in 2023 with a similarly positive response. Now, Disney is hoping to achieve another significant success in the gaming world with Star Wars Outlaws.
What Kind of Game is Star Wars Outlaws?
Ever since its announcement, fans have been eager to understand just what kind of game Star Wars Outlaws is set to be. There are a number of planets to explore in Star Wars Outlaws, so at the very least, players can expect some variety in their journey as opposed to the more linear paths some similar games have taken.
Star Wars Outlaws is likely to be quite different from the recent Star Wars Jedi games. Those two titles were both developed by Respawn Entertainment, noted developers behind the Titanfall series. The Jedi games often drew comparisons to the Dark Souls franchise in terms of their combat, though exploration and general narrative structure were far more linear than what the Dark Souls games have typically offered.
Star Wars Outlaws may feature some combat and adventure elements reminiscent of the Dark Souls games, just as did the Star Wars Jedi titles. But Outlaws is being published by Ubisoft, who are best-known of late for pushing games that are heavy on exploration and completing repetitive objectives. This formula was established more than a decade ago with the establishment of the Assassin’s Creed franchise, and Ubisoft has been happy to carry it over to other franchises since. Far Cry is perhaps the most notable example of this effect, and now Star Wars may be next to follow.
The actual developers behind the game are the people at Massive Entertainment, and they’ll surely have much to do with how Outlaws looks and feels. Massive’s most notable releases are certainly Tom Clancy’s The Division games, which tasked players with navigating urban environments and engaging in fraught gunplay.
Star Wars Outlaws moves in a similar direction. The game is eschewing the high-flying supernatural powers of the jedi and sith, as featured in the Star Wars Jedi games, in favor of blasters and guerilla tactics. Outlaws, as its name implies, is more about the scoundrels of the Star Wars universe than the force-wielding characters that so often dominate its related media.
There’s no doubting the potential popularity of this approach. While everyone loves a good lightsaber clash, Han Solo remains arguably the most popular character in all of Star Wars lore, and he’s practically allergic to the force.
But it does constitute a very different approach to a game, where players are often empowered to live out strong fantasies through playing characters with fantastical abilities. Star Wars is a great vehicle for this, with its force-wielding jedi and sith characters.
Eschewing this approach for something more grounded can certainly work; one need only look to the critical response to recent show Andor, which has been a great success and is a very grounded approach to the franchise material. But it’s not as safe a bet as letting players spin and flip around with a lightsaber in hand.
If Star Wars Outlaws manages to hit right, it could be the next big sign that video games are the best future bet for Disney in wielding its powerful new license. But if the game struggles to make its mark, the people managing the franchise may be left scratching their heads as to just how they should make use of it moving forward.